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CURRENT EVENTS 

In the Light of the Bible 



ARNO d^AEBELEIN 

Editor of '*Our Hope'*i Author of The Annotated BibUp 
Exposition of Daniel, Matthew, etc. 



PUBLICATION OFFICE "OUR HOPE" 

456 Fourth Avenue New York 






Copyright, by Arno C. Gaebelein, December, 1914 



fEB 24 1915 

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CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface 3 

Political Events 7 

Religious Apostasy 56 

Modern Day Delusions 98 

Social Conditions . 145 

The Jews 186 

New Discoveries 203 

Index 217 



Preface. 

"Current Events," as given in this volume, cover a 
period of about eight years. This must be kept in mind 
for it makes these events of startling interest. The 
tremendous armament of the nations, their preparations 
on sea, land and the air is repeatedly pointed out. In 
our comment on the European situation we showed that 
peace cannot be expected in the present age, but that 
all these preparations mean a coming great European 
conflict. This awful conflict has now passed into history. 
Of especial interest are the items on Russia, Turkey and 
the Balkan States. These and others will be helpful in 
the study of Prophecy. 

The chapters on "Religious Apostasy" and "Modern 
Day Delusions" show the drift of things religiously. 
As every reader of the New Testament knows this age 
does not end with a universal acceptance of the faith 
delivered unto the Saints, but in a universal apostasy 
from that faith. Before the day of the Lord comes, 
before our Lord appears the second time there will be 
the falling away (2 Thess. ii:3). "Nevertheless, when 
the Son of Man cometh, shall He find the faith on the 
earth.'*" (Luke xviii:8). This predicted falling away has 
set in and is literally rushing forward to the great apos- 
tasy which comes after the true church has been caught 
up to meet the Lord. Doctrines of demons and of 
seducing spirits are therefore multiplying and attracting 
thousands who never received the love of the Truth. 
All this is pointed out in "Current Events." 



Of equal importance are the paragraphs found under 
"Social Conditions." Rejection of the revealed truths 
of the Bible lead always to moral declension and cor- 
ruption. Unrighteousness is increasing. The age is not 
advancing in righteousness. 

Of special interest is the chapter on the Jews. They 
are the coming people. Their future is revealed in the 
Prophetic Word. The awakened national spirit, reaching 
out for the old home-land, their efforts to regain Palestine 
are of great significance at the present world-crisis. 

At the end the reader will find a good Index by which 
he can locate the difi'erent items. We hope and pray 
that the volume may prove very helpful to preachers. 
Christian workers, teachers and all Christians who love 
His appearing. Surely the time of His Coming must 
be at hand. The study of the signs of the times will 
strengthen this conviction. 

A. C. Gaebelein. 



Political Events. 



Peace, Peace; When There is No Peace. In the days 
of the weeping prophet, Jeremiah, the optimistic cry of 
priests and people was "Peace — Peace!" Yet there was 
no peace and as this awful self-deception of the people 
increased the clouds of divine judgment and wrath 
gathered over Jerusalem. In the midst of the backslid- 
ing and secure professing people of God stood Jere- 
miah with his God given message, that there was no 
peace. What he preached was the very opposite from 
the optimistic imaginations of an outwardly prosperous 
people. And how he had to suffer for his faithful witness. 

In our days likewise the popular preaching is peace; 
peace, progress and prosperity; all is well. What God 
has to say in His infallible Word concerning coming 
judgments is ignored and in spite of the most ominous 
signs and warnings of impending troubles, the greater 
part of Christendom believes that the world is getting 
better, universal peace is in sight and great reform move- 
ments will bring in a greater righteousness. 

But some great Statesmen take a very gloomy view 
of conditions. Ex-Premier Balfour of England made 
recently a prophecy in the presence of the assembled 
editors of the British Empire. He said that the nations 
would have to fight soon a great battle, most likely in 



8 CURRENT EVENTS. 

the German Ocean. At the same time Lord Rosebery 
addressing this Imperial Press Congress also sounded a 
note of warning. 

Lord Rosebery was particularly serious in his reference 
to the European situation, pointing out that whereas all 
the talk is of peace all the action is in preparation for war. 
He said he regarded the outlook as ominous, almost ap- 
palling. He had never seen the condition of things in 
Europe so remarkable and so menacing as at this moment. 

There were features of this general preparation for 
war, he declared, which must cause special anxiety to 
the friends of the British Empire. One was forced to 
wonder where it was going to stop, whether it would 
merely bring Europe back into a state of barbarism or 
whether it would cause a catastrophe in which the work- 
ingmen of the world would say: **We will have no more 
of this madness and this foolery which is grinding us to 
powder.*' 

This does not sound very optimistic. The Word of 
God predicts this very programme. A little while longer 
and the misguided Christian masses, misguided by their 
teachers, many of whom are alas! blind leaders of the 
blind, will have to lament and face trouble, disaster and 
judgment. "We look for peace, but no good came; 
and for a time of health, and behold trouble!" (Jerem. 
viii:15). "For when they shall say. Peace and safety; 
then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail 
upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape" 
(1 Thess. v:3). 

Russia's Threatening Attitude Toward Turkey. The 
leading Russian papers have of late assumed a very hostile 
attitude. The government organ, Novoye Vremya^ made 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 9 

recently the significant statement "that Turkey must be 
wiped off the map of Europe." 

For nearly a year past the belief has been held among 
usually well-informed statesmen that Russia and England 
have come to an understanding hostile to Turkey. They 
have adopted the policy which they agreed on in the 
summer of 1908 when King Edward met the Czar at 
Reval, a policy that was the immediate cause of the 
Turkish revolution in that its interference in the internal 
affairs of the Ottoman Empire offended enough politico- 
military sentiment in Turkey to enable the committee to 
overthrow Abdul Hamid. 

That policy was left in abeyance until time should show 
whether the Young Turks and their constitutional parlia- 
mentary system could produce a decent administration. 
The verdict of the Russian and apparently of the British 
Government is hostile. 

England has completely reversed her old time policy 
toward the Turkish Empire. Toward the end of his career 
the late Lord Salisbury said that in the Russo-Turkish 
problem England had put her money on the wrong horse. 
Now she has stopped even hedging on her stake and gone 
over to the Russian and the original Gladstonian policy 
that a Turk as a political administrator must get out of 
Europe bag and baggage. How soon, how easily and by 
what steps can this end be reached? 

Presented graphically, the process now being applied 
resembles the upper and nether millstone at work and 
Constantinople being ground between them. Russia in 
the Macedonian north and England in the Arabian south 
are regarded as engaged deliberately in destroying the 



10 CURRENT EVENTS. 

authority of the Turkish central Government at Con- 
stantinople. 

The motive for the present inflexible hostility of the 
two Governments to the new Turkish regime is by no 
means based on altruistic sympathy with oppressed Chris- 
tian nationalities nor even on treaty rights. It springs 
from the conviction held by Russia and England that 
Turkey is not to be trusted. Moreover they think that 
she is not to be feared. 

Her sole strength in the way of prestige is the German 
organization of her army, and since the present year began 
this newly modelled army has been subjected north and 
south to continuous humiliation. Many Russians go so 
far as to hold that the present movement will finish the 
Ottoman Empire and the Sublime Porte, that the Turkish 
administrative system as it exists at present will be 
relegated to Asia Minor with its capital at Bagdad, and 
that it will rank approximately with Persia among the 
political powers. 

The student of Prophecy concerning the time of the end 
will discover in these political manoeuverings and the soon 
coming collapse of the Turkish power in Europe a possible 
preparation for that end. Russia must ere long assume 
the leadership in the Eastern question. 

War Preparations. Universal peace and the abolish- 
ment of war in this present age is a dream, which will 
never be realized. There is not a single verse in the 
Bible which promises a state of peace for this poor world 
in this age. On the other hand there are numerous 
predictions of wars to continue during this present 
age and at the close nation is to lift up sword against 
nation and kingdom against kingdom (Matthew xxiv:7). 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 11 

Peace on earth will some day be a reality. A great dis- 
armament is bound to come. Such a glorious time will 
come. But the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ, 
must come back first as the victorious King. He will 
speak peace to the nations and they shall learn war no 
more. This age is almost ended and one of the signs of 
the end are the great war preparations going on now. 

The Japanese Government is beginning to erect a 
gigantic steel plant at Tokio. The plant will be fully 
equipped to manufacture guns of all sizes and will make 
armor plate of every description. They are learning the 
art of war in an astonishing way from "the Christian 
nations/' 

Our friend Mr. Frank S. Weston, Pastor of the Emanuel 
Baptist Church in Toronto, sent us recently an interesting 
communication on this matter, which we print herewith-. 

What mean these fearful munitions which are being prepared on 
all sides? The Word which is our lamp says: 

"Proclaim ye this among the nations: Prepare war, wake up 
the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near: let them come 
up: Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks 
into spears: let the weak say I am strong" (Joel iii:9, 10). 

The Scriptures repeatedly proclaim gigantic warlike prepara- 
tions just before the coming of Jesus Christ to reign over this earth 
(Matt. xxiv:7, 8; Isa. xvii:12). 

The prophetic declaration is that the war spirit will prevail over 
the whole earth. Looking at the present condition of the world what 
do we see? For the past ten years there has been an unprecedented 
state of unrest. Things are in a state of tension. Expectancy is 
on all hearts. What a day may bring forth no one can tell. The 
whole atmosphere pulsates with danger. No one can be certain 
for a day that some new issue will not be raised which will involve 
every nation in Europe in a general war. The present hour sees 
the whole area of the Old Roman Empire a vast camp, with 27,- 
000,000 soldiers enrolled and ready for war. With them is. every 



12 CURRENT EVENTS. 

deadly engine, instrument and agent which modern science and 
human ingenuity can devise for the destruction of human life. 

Europe has never witnessed such gigantic armies and such 
colossal war preparations as at present exists. 

Europe in 1867 could mobilize 6,958,000 men. In 1892 the 
aggregate fighting force was 12,563,000. 

At the present moment "there are in Europe 27,000,000 men 
ready to spring to arms in a fortnight'* (G. O. Morgan, M. P.). 

General Miles, of U. S. Army, says: *'There never was a time in 
the history of the world when such energy, ingenuity and wealth 
has been devoted to war purposes. The resources and industries 
of many peoples are largely devoted to maintaining large standing 
armies and formidable navies." 

All the principal arsenals of Europe are working at high speed 
turning out orders. Not long since 1 visited Woolwich and saw 
16,000 men at work. A recent heading in one of our dailies was 

ALL EUROPE IS TO-DAY BUYING BIG GUNS. 

The London Spectator says: "All the gunsmiths in the world 
are besieged with orders for breech-loaders on various principles, 
each warranted by its inventors to slay more human beings than 
its rival weapons. To this we have come after centuries of Chris- 
tianity and morality and international intercourse and commerce." 

To-day it costs $930,000,000 per year to maintain the peace of 
Europe, and to carry out the program of naval construction de- 
termined will require an outlay of $5,000,000,000. 

Scripture knows no millennium of evolution, but rather one of 
revolution. The "Stone" cut out of the mountain without hands 
is to smite the powers of Earth and then establish a kingdom over 
all the globe. 

Many voices have spoken to the nations: "Lay down your 
arms." Christianity, commerce, socialism all have commanded, all 
have pleaded. But the warriors have only gripped their swords 
more tightly. 

Only One can make peace — Jesus the Christ. The earth is 
awaiting His coming and rule (Mic. iv:3). 

Russia's Preparation. Russia is making very definite 
headway with the building of a powerful navy for the 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 13 

Black Sea. In this she is rapidly preparing for the final 
part she will have to take in the closing days of this 
present age. The conquest of Turkey and her provinces, 
Syria and Palestine, is Russia's ambition. Even so God's 
Word predicts. 

A credit of $60,000,000 was granted for the purpose b^ the Duma 
and all of it and more has been allocated this week. The addi- 
tional $10,000,000 necessitated by the irreducible figures quoted by 
the contractors will doubtless be granted when the House meets. 

Two Dreadnoughts will be laid down on October 1st (old style) 
at the new yard on the Black Sea prepared by a combination of 
Russian metallurgical companies under the technical and managerial 
direction of the British firm of John Brown & Company, of Shefiield 
and Clydebank. A third Dreadnought will be laid down a month 
later at the Nicolaiefi" yard, also on the Black Sea, and its construction 
will be under the supervision of the British firm of Vickers. 

It was first intended that each Dreadnought should be 25,000 
tons displacement and have 24 knots speed, but the cost would have 
been far beyond the appropriation, and it was decided that they 
should have 21,500 tons displacement and from 21 to 2134 knots. 
Each of these battleships will cost rather over $14,000,000 and yet 
will be about $50 a ton cheaper than the Dreadnoughts built at St. 
Petersburg for the Baltic fleet. The economy is due to the cheap- 
ness of coal at the Black Sea as compared with the north. 

The remainder of the new Black Sea fleet, which is doubtless 
intended to cope with Turkey or with the Powers that take over the 
reversion of Turkey's strategic position, consists of nine torpedo 
cruisers and destroyers and six submarines. Each torpedo cruiser 
will have 1,050 tons displacement and thirty-five knots speed and 
each will cost $1,325,000. Each of the six submarines will cost 
$800,000. 

Peace Confidence is Shaken. The universal peace 
confidence received a bad setback during the past weeks. 

The German Emperor in a speech at a banquet in 
Hamburg said recently that it isn't astonishing that the 



14 . CURRENT EVENTS. 

upward movement of German trade has inconvenienced 
many parties. He continued: 

"World competition in commerce is wholesome for 
peoples and for States and is necessary to stimulate them 
to new achievements. But that competition is capable 
of being fought out peaceably. 

"Protection to our trade and navigation has been 
provided by our navy, which is developing powerfully 
and distinguishing itself everywhere by its good behavior 
and discipline. It represents the German people's desire 
for salt water. 

"I think that I can assume that Hamburgers desire 
that the navy be further strengthened so as to insure 
that nobody wUl dispute that place in the world which 
is our due." 

At the same time France made strong declarations 
against universal peace. All France endorses the policy 
of resistance to Germany. A leading French official 
said, "France may sometimes have yielded to the illu- 
sion of universal peace, but she has now ceased to con- 
sider a European conflict as an impossibility." Even 
the most sanguine peace promoters realize that the dreams 
of peace millennium is far off". 

The War in the East. The war in the Balkan Peninsula 
has been the leading event. In a very short time 
the armies moving against Turkey were success- 
ful. City after city, fortress after fortress fell, till in 
less than four weeks Constantinople heard the booming 
guns, and the victorious warriors encircled the city. The 
accounts read like some of the wars recorded in the Word, 
when God moved His hosts against the enemies of Israel. 
But who can describe the horrors of this present-day 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 15 

warfare! The newest inventions, powerful, rapid-firing 
machine guns are being now put to test to show how many 
hundreds of lives they can cut down in a few minutes. 
How many thousands and tens of thousands have fallen, no 
one can tell. And then the thousands of wounded and 
maimed men! Oh! the horrors of war! One shudders 
in thinking of the young men and even boys, drafted to 
go to the front, and the heartaches, tears, pain and sorrow, 
connected with it all. Then there is that which always 
follows, famine and pestilence. 

As we write this the outcome of all is still in the balances. 
One thing seems to have become certain. Great changes 
will result and new kingdoms and alliances will be formed. 
The crescent is going down; Turkey is being stripped of its 
power. All this, all enlightened believers, who know the 
Word, watch with the intensest interest, for it is exactly 
that, which may be expected. The War in the East is the 
most solemn sign of the times, the Lord has given to His 
people. 

But what about the other nations .^^ What about the 
universal war, a conflagration of Europe .^^ We give an 
account, which was cabled from London by a well informed 
correspondent and which describes the situation. 

The possibility and danger of a greater war than that between the 
Balkan states and Turkey absorbs public interest far more than the 
first bout of diplomacy between the belligerents outside of Con- 
stantinople. 

The steps toward mobilization which Austria and Russia are 
taking, although but preliminary precautions, have made possible 
a vision of the vast consequences which, as far as Great Britain is 
concerned, are considered nothing less than appalling. 

Apparently the British public has no desire to sacrifice lives and 
money, paralyze commerce and risk the navy over the settlement of 



16 CURRENT EVENTS. 

the Status of the Balkan peninsula. Yet it is uneasy. It is ignorant 
of how far Great Britain's diplomatic engagements with France and 
Russia extend in the direction of an alliance and of how much likeli- 
hood there is that the government will be drawn into a conflict in 
which one or both its partners in the entente may be engaged. 

The liberal press is unanimous in urging Great Britain to preserve 
neutrality. The majority of the conservatives demand the same 
policy. The Times, declaring that none of the European peoples 
want war, says: "Yet that is whither the nations are blindly drift- 
ing." It asks, "Then who makes war.'*" and replies, "There is to 
be found in the chancelleries of Europe among the men who, too 
long, have played with human lives as pawns in a game of chess and 
who have become so enmeshed in formulas and the jargon of diplo- 
macy that they have ceased to be conscious of the realities with 
which they trifle." 

The Pall Mall Gazette almost speaks in a warlike voice. It declares: 
"England ought to act firm with France and Russia in refusing simply 
to be swept aside. If the conference desired by the British govern- 
ment is refused, we ought to face the alternative and stand by our 
friends." 

The mobilization of the Austrian and Russian armies requires 
weeks to bring about what Germany and France can accomplish 
in days. In Russia's case this is owing to the great distances the 
troops must travel; in Austria's because the units of the army are 
on a peace footing, which is only one-third of its war strength. 
Therefore, consideration of safety compels them to begin when 
the danger signals are remote. 

England, France and Germany are playing a peace making role. 
Their efforts are directed apparently toward keeping the powers 
together in a compact to refrain from taking up the question which 
the war raises and defer their consideration until the general con- 
ference. 

The withdrawal of the Austrian warships at Constantinople to 
join the fleet is taken as an unfavorable sign, and the imminent 
Servian occupation of Durazzo, on the Adriatic Sea, tends further 
to bring Austria and Servia toward the breaking point. 

On the other hand, the safe arrival at Uskup of the Austrian consul, 
Prochaska, who it was feared had been killed, should lessen the 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 17 

tension, and the fact that the Austrian ambassador lunched to-day 
with the Russian emperor would seem to indicate that the relations 
between these two powers are still cordial. 

The latest news received here to-night foreshadows the break- 
down of the armistice negotiations, probably over the demand of 
the Bulgarians for the evacuation of Adrianople, to which Turkey 
will not listen. The Turkish view is that while the allies have no 
more reserves which they can draft upon, Turkey is drawing a 
plentiful supply of fresh troops from Asia and is able to continue 
the war for another year. The Turkish military authorities assert 
that Adrianople can hold out for another month and that the 
Tchatalja lines are impregnable. Hence Turkey's position is not 
desperate enough to warrant her accepting humiliating terms. 

What may take place no one knows. The situation 
seems desperate. What would result if the great nations 
would go to war is beyond description. 

The Balkan Situation. Significant developments have 
taken place in the Balkan States. Montenegro, Servia, 
Bulgaria and Greece are arising against Turkey and 
these States seem to be determined to make an end of 
the wicked empire and drive the Turk out of Europe. 
Every student of modern history dating back fifty years 
knows the horrible record of Turkey. It is a record, a 
crime, cold-blooded butcheries of thousands of innocent 
human beings. These atrocities are of such a nature, 
especially those committed upon women, young girls 
and children, that they cannot be mentioned in print. 
Within our lifetime these satanic outrages have taken 
place and the so-called ''Concert of Europe," the "Chris- 
tian" (!) nations have stood by and not alone refused to 
interfere, but even helped that hell-born empire to 
continue in them. With Italy's attack upon Turkey 



18 CURRENT EVENTS. 

the death-knell of Turkey seems to have been sounded. 
Thousands of Greeks, Bulgars and others are returning 
from our shores to their home lands to engage in the 
coming warfare, which they term a holy war. The 
enthusiasm and self-sacrifice reminds one of the crusades. 
On account of this ominous situation all Europe stands 
aghast. The great nations fear now a universal conflagra- 
tion, and the question with them seems to be chiefly 
who is to come out ahead of the game. Germany's 
friendship with Turkey is well known. In the highest 
European diplomatic circles the opinion prevails that 
Germany plays a tremendous game and has for her chief 
object the absolute control of Europe. One of the most 
clever students of the situation writes from Berlin that all 
Europe has been plunged into the darkest pessimism 
bordering on despair. Is this going to be the first step 
towards a changed map of Europe.^ Will Turkey at last 
fall? What is Russia going to do? What will be the 
result of all these upheavals? Will the predicted revival 
of the Roman Empire with its ruling little horn (Daniel 
vii) be the outcome? All these are interesting questions. 
But we are not called upon to prophesy. Only God 
knows what the near future will bring. But surely this 
much we can say: **It will be foul weather for the sky 
is red and lowering" (Matthew xvi:l-3). A friend 
writes us: "The news has come of the proposed ulti- 
matum by the Balkan States to Turkey. If so the match 
is about to be applied to the powder magazine. It seems 
inevitable that one at least of the great powers will be 
drawn into the conflict; and if one, then all. On the 
other hand, the Lord's hour may not have arrived as yet. 
It may be in His plan to restrain the violence of man for 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 19 

yet a little season. However that may be, it becomes 
increasingly apparent that the end is near and hastens 
greatly. "Even so, come. Lord Jesus." With this we 
agree fully. May all that wait for His coming turn more 
than ever to the Word of Prophecy, especially to Daniel 
and Revelation. "Blessed is he that readeth, and they 
that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those 
things which are written herein; for the time is at hand" 
(Rev. i:3). 

Russia's Attitude. The Russian Empire has been very 
much in the foreground of late. The treaty of 1832 was 
abolished by the U. S. Senate. This was mostly brought 
about by Jewish influences. In connection with this 
incident the Russian bear has shown its teeth. The 
hatred against the Jewish race is not on the wane in the 
great northern empire. Antisemitism is as strong as 
ever and it is only a question of time when other fierce 
outbreaks against the Jews will occur. The Word of 
God speaks repeatedly of a great Northern power, of the 
time of the end, the enemy of Israel. That power is 
Russia. 

Still more significant is Russia's abominable behavior 
against Persia. During the past three or four years 
Russia's aim has been to extend her dominion southward 
and find an outlet into the Indian Ocean. Steadily she 
has laid her plans to annex Persia. The success of this 
movement is only a question of time as Russia's troops 
are already in possession of Persian territory. Recently 
they massacred hundreds of innocent women and children. 
In Ezekiel xxxviii is found an unfulfilled prophecy. All 
students of the prophetic Word are agreed that Gog and 
Magog, the chief prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal 



20 CURRENT EVENTS. 

(xxxixil) is Russia. Russia during the end of the age 
will head a great confederacy of nations to invade Israel's 
land once more. In the list of nations which are joined 
to Gog and Magog, Persia is mentioned (verse 5). Russia 
by her fierce hatred of the Jews and forward movement 
in Central Asia is preparing for her destiny and final 
complete overthrow. 

Germany's National Debt. In thirty-three years 
Germany's national debt has swelled from twenty million 
dollars to one billion, one hundred million dollars — from 
twenty million dollars to eleven hundred million. In 
1871, Germany had forty-one million inhabitants and 
in 1910 sixty-four million, an increase not quite sixty-four 
per cent. The expenditure for armament, responsible for 
the enormous debt, has more than doubled. If this 
continues, as it evidently must, a terrible condition will 
soon be reached. It spells revolution and lawlessness. 

The Horrors of the Eastern War. The details of the 
wholesale massacres of the Christian population in parts 
of the Balkan peninsula, are just coming to light. Wicked 
Turkey is keeping up her bloody record, and the end is not 
yet. We quote from a report sent lately by an army 
officer stationed at Adrianople. The report was made 
to the President of the Alliance Universelle, 

"Human speech cannot describe the agony one's soul feels on 
looking back over the seven weeks of massacre and mutual exter- 
mination in which 30,000 were butchered here. 

"Like lightning from a clear sky came the sudden announcement 
of the Balkan Alliance and before the Turk had time to recover from 
the shock given him the war was declared. 

"The gates of armories and barracks were swung wide open. At 
the barracks at the Zljiler Mahallelsy I heard the commanding officer 
give orders to kill all Christians. 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 21 

"At last that terrible Friday night came. It was dusk. As I 
stood at the window at the Konah of Kendeli Bey I saw several 
imans (Mohammedan priests) on the minaret. I was suddenly 
startled by the sharp rattle of a drum, which beckoned the setting 
of the first watch before midnight. A few minutes had elapsed 
when the tower became filled with men moving excitedly. 

"The great bell of the Greek orthodox church began to toll, fol- 
lowed by the bells of the other Christian churches. 

"Lights appeared everywhere, windows were thrown up, the 
streets were crowded with men, women and children, their hands 
filled with hastily snatched valuables, making toward different 
churches to find refuge. 

"Women pressing their babies to their breasts rushed to the win- 
dows that overhung the streets, already inundated with human 
blood. 

"At the tepah, near the well, at the back of the Greek Bishop's 
diocese, I met a crowd of some fifty girls, who, frenzied with fear, 
turned and fled. In an instant they were surrounded by furious 
Moslems and butchered, and the heartrending shrieks of innocent 
children added to the already terrible scene. All was chaos. 

"In half an hour the outlying city was completely devastated, 
Meantime the Moslems of Adrianople, re-enforced by the outsiders, 
took up their fiendish work. Toward midnight the city was hell. 
The roars of a million tigers could not terrify one as the lamentations 
and death shrieks of the unfortunate thousands. The city was set 
on fire in many sections and thousands were enveloped in the flames. 

"In the morning the streets were strewn with dead. Thousands 
of them were cast in the river and have been washed ashore three 
miles below. 

This is horrible reading. How little we, who are living 
in a land of peace and plenty, think of these unfortunate 
thousands! Most of us give it just a passing thought. 
We should pray daily for these suffering ones, no doubt 
many of them true children of God. And oh! Lord, how 
long! how long! It seems as if the end with its final 
struggles, its judgments and troubles, cannot be far off. 



22 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Is the War to be Ended? The representatives of 
Turkey with those of Bulgaria, Montenegro, Servia, and 
Greece are engaged in London with peace negotiations. 
Several times it seemed as if the conference would suddenly 
end and hostilities begin again. One would almost wish 
that the victorious allies would make a clean sweep and 
settle the Turkish question once for all, by driving the 
Turk out of Europe. The peace demands are severe and 
so far the victors have yielded but little. Turkey itself 
knows that the complete dissolution of the Ottoman 
Empire, the once powerful domain of the Sultan, is at 
hand. The Turkish press has been optimistic. One of 
the leading papers in Constantinople made the following 
remarks: 

"If Constantinople and its environs alone are left to us, we can no 
longer defend them. What remains will in a few years slip out of our 
hands. . , . 

"After this Bulgaria and Servia will possess navies. Greece will 
strengthen and increase her navy, and the Ottoman State will not 
only be unable to defend Constantinople and its environs, but it 
will be impossible to defend the coast of Anatolia on the Mediter- 
ranean and the Black Sea. We must hereafter have a navy equal 
to that of France in order to be able to defend our coast lines against 
two rivals. Is this possible.?" 

What the immediate outcome of all will be only our 
God knows. But as far as human vision goes the end of 
Turkey is in sight. The blow which the so-called "sick 
man of Europe" has received will finish him. It is 
interesting to see how the "Christian nations" stand by 
and watch jealously all that is being done by the victorious 
Balkan States. Constantinople is the coveted goal by 
all of them. 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 23 

This war in the East, the complete breakdown of the 
Turkish Empire, remains the most significant sign of the 
times. We should not at all be surprised if the "Jewish 
Question" and Zionism will soon loom up on the horizon 
of these present day events. 

The Chaos in the Balkans. The upheavals in the 
Balkan States have been followed by all our readers in 
the newspaper reports. The allies have gone to war 
with each other. Bloody battles have been fought 
amongst themselves. Greece and Servia are evidently 
successful and Bulgaria has suffered severe reverses. 
Roumania has also gone into the game and invaded 
Bulgaria. Austria and Russia stand behind it all, while 
the other great Powers look on. The outcome of all 
must now be awaited. A forecast of possible events is 
impossible. Greed for possession is responsible for it all. 

Uneasy Europe. Old Europe feels uneasy. Every 
Kingdom and Empire is filled with fear and trembling. 
How will it end? That is the question which statesmen 
ask and the uncertainty is depressing every industry. 
Some nations, like Germany, are facing bankruptcy. 
The people continue to hoard their silver and their gold. 
Politicians and the masses of the people feel instinctively 
that an awful crisis is coming upon the whole world. The 
tension in the United States is even more marked. Dis- 
trust prevails. A silent panic is on. Even clever men 
seem to be at their wit's end. 

Is not all this a foretaste of that which is coming?* 
"Upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the 
sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for 
fear, and for looking after those things which are coming 



24 CURRENT EVENTS. 

on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken" 
(Luke xxi:25-26). 

The Human Slaughter-House. Such is the title of a 
small volume which appeared recently in Germany by a 
hitherto unknown writer. In three months over 100,000 
copies were sold. It has created a great sensation in 
Europe. The volume contains a horrible description of 
the battlefields of the future. Mechanical invention has 
changed **the field of honor" into a "human slaughter- 
house." According to this realistic description of the 
next war, machine guns will mow dow^n whole regiments 
and dynamite dropped from aeroplanes during the night 
will wipe out human lives by the thousands. We quote a 
paragraph: "Another thing we know is, that forty years 
ago, in spite of inferior guns and rifles, over a hundred and 
twenty thousand dead stayed behind on the field of 
honor (The Franco-Prussian war). What percentage of 
the living will modern warfare claim. ^ Armies are being 
marshalled vaster than the world has ever seen. Germany 
alone can put six million soldiers in the field; France as 
many. Then the war of 1870-71 was nothing more than 
a long-drawn affair of outposts! My brain reels when I 
try to visualize these masses — starting to march against 
one another; I seem to choke for breath." We do not 
know if the author knows anything of what the Bible 
predicts concerning the end of the age. Such terrible 
scenes as he describes will some day be witnessed on this 
earth. A little prelude was the awful butcheries of the 
Balkan war. The coming rider of judgment upon the 
red horse (Rev. vi:4) will take peace from the earth "that 
they should kill one another." 

The Balkan War. A peace treaty between Bulgaria and 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 25 

her former allies was signed during August, after which 
a big religious ceremony took place in the Cathedral of 
Bucharest. But will this peace last? Before we can 
publish these notes on current events, new complications 
may have arisen and another war may be going on. We 
hope not. The Balkan war has been one of the most 
disastrous in the history of this blood-trenched earth. 

A correspondent of the Corriere delta Sera, now in Macedonia, who 
has visited all the chief centers of the Balkan war, has given an 
approximate table of the losses in men and money up to the present 
of the combatant nations. For the first war his estimate is as 
follows : 

Bulgaria— 350,000 soldiers mobilized; 80,000 dead; $300,000,000. 

Servia— 250,000 soldiers; 30,000 dead; $160,000,000. 

Greece— 10,000 dead out of 150,000; $70,000,000. 

Montenegro— 8,000 dead out of 30,000; $4,000,000. ^ 

Turkey— 450,000; 100,000 dead; $400,000,000. 

For the second war his figures are: 

Bulgaria— 60,000 dead; $180,000,000. 

Servia— 40,000; $100,000,000. 

Greece— 30,000; $50,000,000. 

When the number of persons massacred and the victims of the 
cholera epidemics are added to the totals it is reckoned that nearly 
400,000 must have perished. The monetary loss all told is said to be 
$1,360,000,000. The Boer war cost England 20,000 dead and 
$1,000,000,000. 

It remains now to be seen what will develop out of all 
this chaos. 

Balkan Diplomacy. The following paragraph is taken 
from the Nezv Statesman (London, Eng.) and gives a 
little insight into the diplomatic manoeuvers of the Balkan 
situation. Russia, as we have often predicted, is coming 
out ahead of the game. She also requested Germany to 
join Russia to force Turkey to abandon her invasion of 



^6 CURRENT EVENtS. 

the conquered territory. Germany refused. The New 
Statesman says: 

And though Servia and Greece have succeeded in joining their 
frontiers, let no one imagine that this will necessarily make them 
permanent friends. Servia will continue to desire a direct outlet 
to the sea under her own control. If she becomes as strong as she 
hopes in the Vardar valley, she will begin to think more and more 
of getting Salonica for herself in the end. 

Behind all this prospect of unrest in the Balkans themselves, there 
is the far greater question of the effect of the new conditions upon the 
relations of Austria and Russia. Thanks mainly to M. Hartwig, the 
Czar's minister at Belgrade, Russia, without moving a regiment, 
has secured a diplomatic triumph which more than wipes out all 
the effect of Count Aehrenthal's success in 1909. Roumania, 
Bulgaria and Servia have all been brought more definitely under 
her influence. She holds an incomparably stronger position towards 
the Balkans than at any time since 1878. 

With Austria it is lamentably different. By a policy of Machiavel- 
lianism and muddle in the last few months she has committed every 
possible error. She has been equally useless to Bulgaria and Rou- 
mania. The results of her own manoeuvers have ended in that 
large aggrandisement of Servia which it was the chief aim of Vienna 
to prevent. Serbs and Roumanians alike now look to the creation 
of the Greater Servia and the Greater Roumania by the disintegra- 
tion of the Dual monarchy. Its present shape is untenable. The 
difficulties of reconstruction are enormously increased. 

Yet nothing is more certain than that the downfall of Austria in 
destroying the existing equilibrium of Europe would totally change a 
good deal in the present grouping of the powers. The war which 
ought never to have been begun will not now be closed without some 
worse consequences than are yet generally discussed. 

After the coming pause of exhaustion in the Balkans anything may 
happen in all the cast of Europe beyond the German frontier. After 
the elimination of the Turk the situation of instability is wider and 
more dangerous than before. 

Little Holland Falling in Line. The Netherlands 
Defence Commission, now sitting at The Hague, has 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 27 

recommended that Holland should build nine dread- 
noughts of 21,000 tons each, as well as several cruisers, 
destroyers and submarines, for service in the waters of 
the Dutch East Indies. The full scheme is not to be 
completed for thirty-five years. 

The plan is due to the rise of Japan and the possibility 
that Java, Sumatra and Dutch Borneo may be objects 
of Japanese ambition. The Dutch, like all far-seeing 
people here or in the Dominion and the United States, 
realize that every Power which has possessions in the 
Pacific will need increased naval armaments in the future. 

Thus little Holland falls in line with the other great 
nations to prepare for war. The Hague is the place 
where the "Peace Court" holds forth and the Peace 
palace is situated, of which so much has been expected. 
And now they recommend from that very place the 
building of warships. What mockery! 

The Austrian Tragedy. The assassination of the heir 
to the Austrian throne and his wife adds two more names 
to the list of murdered rulers. Servia seems to have been 
the instigator of this terrible crime and behind Servia is 
seen the hand of Russia. This is the prevailing opinion 
among statesmen in Europe. Russia aims at a great Pan- 
Slavic confederacy. She will succeed and form yet a still 
vaster empire, amalgamating the slavic races. The Slavs 
are nearly half the population of the Austrian empire, 
numbering 24,388,413, by the latest estimate, out of a 
total population of 51,356,465. The annexation by 
Austria of Bosnia-Herzegovina has greatly stirred the 
Slavic world. With the Albanian disorders, the re- 
organization of the Turkish army, Turkey aiming at war 
with Greece, Russia and Servia conspiring against Aus- 



28 CURRENT EVENTS. 

tria, the unsettled Eastern question is bound to come 
into prominence again. 

The Pope^s Peace Message. Efforts to secure universal 
peace, and to produce a millennium, apart from the Return 
of our Lord to this earth, continue in many directions. Of 
late the Roman Catholic Church has taken hold. The 
Pope has issued an allocution which has been sent to 
23,000 priests in the United States. Rome is falling in 
line with "Protestants" in the different reform move- 
ments, like Prohibition, the abolishment of the social 
evil and universal peace. 

The Church Peace Union, founded in February by Andrew Car- 
negie with an endowment of $2,000,000, will begin its educational 
activities in behalf of disarmament and arbitration among the 
clergy of the Roman Catholic Church here by sending to each of 
the 23,000 priests of the United States and Canada a copy of the 
allocution of Pope Pius. 

The allocution, which is one of the most important of papal 
documents, was regarded in peace circles as remarkable for its 
strong expressions on the subject of international peace. The 
Pope's references to "men of distinction and force planning schemes 
for preventing the calamities of war, and for insuring the blessings 
of peace" were the subject of speculation in Rome. It was sug- 
gested at the time that President Wilson and Secretary Bryan 
might have been in mind. 

The plan to distribute the allocution to priests was worked out 
by Dr. Frederick Lynch, Secretary of the Carnegie Union, and 
Dr. James J. Walsh, the well-known physician and writer on Catholic 
subjects. 

"This is a project that is bound to be appreciated by our clergy,'* 
said Dr. Walsh yesterday. "Such allocutions are delivered in 
secret, but are usually published for the purpose of making clear 
the attitude of the Holy See on a given question. They appear in 
the *Acta Sanctae Sedis,' and the higher dignitaries of the church 
get copies, but as a rule the text of the allocutions are not sent out 
to the clergy generally. It will help along the peace idea to have the 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 29 

parish priest in every part of the country have the papal utterances 
on the question, and I have suggested that we send out earlier 
papal documents on the subject of arbitration." 

This sounds very nice. There is no doubt Rome joins 
hands vi^ith Protestants for a specific purpose and unpro- 
testing Protestantism dreaming of a "united Christendom" 
sees in all this a hopeful sign of a glorious future and follows 
willingly her, whom God's holy Word brands ''the mother 
of harlots and of the abominations of the eai;th" (Rev. 
xvii:5). The sugar-coated pill is easily swallowed. Rome 
is double-faced. She advocates peace and prosecutes 
those who dare to speak out against her abominations. 
She joins reform-movements to gain her sinister end and 
permits certain evils in her midst. Universal peace .^ Yes, 
a mock-peace, a counterfeit peace may come, but it will 
not last long. It is coming to blind still more the eyes of 
them who believe not. The next paragraph is even more 
significant. 

The Trend Toward a Single World Government. Dif- 
ferent propositions have been made to establish somewhere 
a great world-center and to have the nations governed 
through a central government. Many statesmen advo- 
cate such a plan. Different monarchs of Europe have 
declared that their rule *as kings may terminate soon. 
The King of Italy made recently such a statement. Surely 
thrones are tottering and the rule by the people is rising. 

The latest plan advocated for bringing all the world 
under one government is the "world-navy." The sug- 
gested scheme is as follows: 

A united navy supplied by the great powers named — the United 
States, Japan, Italy, Austria, France, Great Britain, Germany and 
Russia — would mean, to all intents and purposes, a movement in 



30 CURRENT EVENTS. 

the direction of a World Navy, because the list would include big 
war vessels enough to make a World Navy m numbers and strength. 
A World Navy would be logically and almost certainly followed 
by a World Army of corresponding strength, including the same 
nations, or some of them, with perhaps others possessing smaller 
armies — all to be assembled, through the initiative and by the 
consent of the nations involved, each militant branch under a single 
commander, and to be moved, whenever necessary, to achieve and 
maintain the peace of the world through a common impulse, under 
a united agreement first reached by a Parliament of the Nations. 

A World Navy and a World Army would necessarily mean a 
World Government for the creation, assembling, support, manage- 
ment and control of these combined militant forces. 

A World Government, in order to be practical, complete, com* 
prehensive, effective and lasting, would need to be invested with all 
and every attribute of a single, united, consolidated, supreme govern- 
ing body, adequate to the overmastering requirements of the world 
in all large and essential particulars. It would necessarily consist 
of the component and harmonious branches of a government of the 
people, for the people and by the people of the different nations of 
the earth — all of them, great and small, if possible. 

Such a government would, in the very nature of the case, have to 
take on the character and consist of the features, the branches, the 
departments and the subdivisions essential to the securing of justice, 
efficiency, harmony in control, and permanency. Such a govern- 
ment would require, first of all, in its composition, the legislative, 
executive and judicial functions, each bearing Its proper relation 
to the other, and all so welded and bound together as to constitute 
a universal governmental device of world-wide reach and solidarity. 

The document from which we quote these paragraphs 
declares also that this world-government, the world-army 
and world-navy v/ould look after and guarantee the 
peace of the world, to fight all its battles ''if any should 
remain to be fought." Then follow other suggestions. 

The establishment of a World Government would of course 
involve the selection, establishment and possession of a World 
Capital; the creation of the necessary buildings and appliances for 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 31 

the purpose; the creation of all essential civil offices; the election, 
selection or appointment of all necessary civil, judicial and other 
officers, agents and employees; and, in brief, the setting up and 
setting in motion of the entire machinery of a government adequate 
for the control of the affairs of the world, not its international and 
world-wide affairs, not of the national or internal affairs of the 
several countries. 

There would, of necessity, be a striking World Flag, bearing upon 
its resplendent folds the national insignia of each and every country 
composing the alliance. 

And last but not least of all, there would be a World Harbor or 
harbors-^adequate ports of entry, amply guarded and protected 
by the World Navy. 

All these things are possible, and half a dozen of the greater 
nations of the world can set in motion and establish permanently 
this Plan for Ending Wars — this Project of Universal Peace. 

To the Intelligent Christian, who has a clear insight in 
the revealed purposes of God, who "thinks God's 
thoughts" concerning the end of this age, this trend 
towards a great world-government is of intense interest. 
The Word of God predicts a final Babylon, the concen- 
tration of a Godless civilization in one great world alliance. 
It also predicts the coming battle of Armageddon. When 
the Lord Jesus comes out of heaven to take possession 
of this earth and to become its king, the kings of the earth 
and of the whole world are together, they form a world- 
army and world-navy; they are gathered to the battle 
of the great day. The gathering place will be Armaged- 
don (Rev. xvi: 14-16). The kings of the earth and their 
armies make actually war against the Lord (Rev. xix:19). 
We are witnessing the planning for this predicted end. 
Plans are on foot to produce the final Babylon. What a 
solemn indication that the Lord is on His way for His 
people! 



32 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Russians strength and Forward Movement. Ever since 

the Russo-Japanese war, the great northern empire has 
been gaining in strength. Persia is gradually coming un- 
der Russian control, while throughout Central Asia from 
the Caspian Sea to the Gulf of Persia the influence and ex- 
pansion of Russia becomes more pronounced. But in all 
probability the next war which Russia will undertake will 
be in the Far East. Asia and Russia are arming, and 
according to a leading military authority of Germany, 
General von der Boeck, a conflict between Japan and 
Russia is unavoidable. The general gives in a German 
magazine the following information: 

The troops which Russia possessed in the Far East at the close 
of the war, he says, have been largely strengthened, so that at the 
present time they cannot be short of a peace footing of 200,000 
men, a force which if war should break out could easily and speedily 
be raised to 300,000 without drawing a single soldier from European 
Russia. 

Another important fact noted by Gen. von der Boeck is the 
strengthening of the defences of Vladivostok, which has been raised 
to the rank of a first class fortress. But the weightiest item in the 
development of Russian power in the Far East, according to this 
writer, will be the decision to build the Amur railway. 

The third Duma, in view of the importance of this railway, has 
unhesitatingly devoted the necessary funds. The Russian Govern- 
ment's decision to double the track of the Siberian line is a step 
the gravity of which cannot be overrated. 

Japan, freed for the present from maritime cares, is similarly 
engaged in strengthening her position on land. The thirteen divi- 
sions of her army when war broke out have been raised to nineteen, 
so that at the present moment her army on a war footing would 
consist of 550,000 men and 120,000 horses. And as there is on 
lack of men in the Mikado's empire General von der Boeck believes 
that were war now to be declared a million Japanese soldiers could 
take the field within a few weeks. 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 33 

A most important factor in the altering circumstances is the 
renaissance of the Chinese military power. Japanese instructors 
swarm in China, and are swiftly building up a mighty military 
engine as their ally. 

The original plan of the Chinese Government was to form thirty- 
six divisions, each of 10,000 men, and to have this entire force 
ready to take the field force the year 1922, but it is perfectly 
evident from the reports which have filtered through to Europe 
that this huge army will be ready by 1912, or ten years earlier than 
was originally intended. 

Russia will no doubt be well prepared in a few years to 
undertake the awful struggle. She may come out of it 
victoriously for another destiny is marked out for a great 
northern power in the end of this age. According to the 
Word of God, when the Jews have been partially restored 
to Palestine, that land will be invaded by a powerful 
army coming from the north. No doubt that northern 
power must be Russia. 

The Death of the King and the Unrest of the World. 

King Edward VII passed away after a brief illness. 
He was greatly beloved throughout the British Empire. 
Other nations esteemed him for his great tact and wisdom. 
His death came at a time when England is in the midst 
of a great crisis. Great Britain is facing great perplexities. 
How the desperate struggle between democracy and 
aristocracy, between socialism and imperialism will 
end is hard to tell. Humanly speaking a man like the 
suddenly cut off King was greatly needed. And else- 
where throughout the world there is a great and significant 
unrest. The Missionary Review makes mention of this: 

One of the signs of the times, and very conspicuous, is the world- 
wide unrest. Never has this been more general if not universal. 



34 CURRENT EVENTS. 

If we begin at the Sunrise Kingdom and go westward, we shall 
find almost, if not quite, every nation in the sun's daily course in 
a state of agitation bordering on revolution. In Korea there is a 
desperate struggle for independence and freedom from Japanese 
domination. In Japan itself there is a condition of practical bank- 
ruptcy, the nation consumed with political ambition and anxiety to 
assert and maintain supremacy on land and sea and yet too poor to 
risk further indebtedness and outlay. China and Manchuria are 
restive under the threatened aggression of Russia and the spirit of 
reform that is like a liquid at boiling-point. India has not been so 
impatient and on the point of outbreak since the battle of Plassey. 
Turkey is only just starting upon its new career and uncertain 
what new development to-morrow may bring; it is like a volcano 
between two eruptions. Persia is in the very throes of revolution, 
with a change of dynasty and an entire upturning of government. 
And as in Asia so in Europe. Italy is far from being at rest; 
France is in much the same condition as before the tremendous 
civil and religious disturbances of 1793. Russia, for the time quiet, 
seethes under the surface with antagonisms between the Czar and 
his people, and the Church and the lesser sects. 

The unrest in this country Is becoming even greater 
than that of the European nations. A leading University- 
President in addressing a convention said recently that 
the present age is the most decadent in history, with 
the possible exception of the days just before the fall of 
the Roman Republic and before the French Revolution. 

The world waits for a great leader, a great master mind, 
who will head up in his person the affairs of the world and 
lead onward in the consummation of this age. This 
person is clearly described in the Word of God. A great 
political leader will appear first and he will be followed 
closely by a religious leader, the personal Anti-christ and 
man of sin. All is now ripe for the welcome of the two 
beasts. For all we know the persons who are destined 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 35 

to act in these capacities may be on earth already. The 
Lord only knows that. 

Nations Armed Camps. In addressing employers of 
labor on behalf of the new territorial army, War Secre- 
tary Haldane said the condition of international affairs 
was such that only a spark was needed to make a great 
war possible. Nations nowadays resembled armed camps 
rather than peoples contemplating peace. 

Great Britain's best security for peace, he said, was 
preparedness for war. In addition to the possibility of 
invasion there was the more probable contingency that 
if Britain did not attend to the matter of national defence 
a gust of panic would sweep over the markets. 

And yet how much we hear of "universal peace" and the 
coming together of the "Christian" nations. The world 
knows no peace, nor will there be peace till He comes. 

General Bemhardi, an Eminent German Military 
Authority, has written a book entitled Germany and the 
Next War, in which he maintains the right to make war 
and the duty to make war, and openly advocates the policy 
of aggression and invasion, and tells his countrymen that 
they must fight their way to pre-eminence among the 
nations regardless of the rights and interests of other 
people, and that agitation in favor of peace is poisonous. 
This does not look like universal peace at hand. 

Germany's fleet in the air. The great nations are 
making many preparations for battles in the air. Ger- 
many is the leader in this respect. She has not only the 
finest army on land and building up the most forceful 
navy on the sea, but has the finest collection of dirigibles 



36 CURRENT EVENTS. 

and aeroplanes. Recently great aerial manoeuvers were 
held and new improvements tested. Machine guns were 
fired from the air and experiments made with wireless 
telegraphy. The Berlin correspondent of the Daily Mail 
(London) gave of late interesting information on Ger- 
many's flying fleet. 

Fourteen vessels are actually in commission. Nine others are 
under construction. Ten or a dozen factories and dockyards where 
airships are manufactured on systematic lines are at work. Twelve 
or fifteen permanent garages, several of them elaborately equipped 
stations, have been built at various strategic points along the frontier, 
in the proximity of the sea and at inland centres. 

A special battalion of nearly 1,000 officers, engineers and men, 
trained in all the exigencies of aerial navigation has been organized. 
Germany's great ordnance makers, the Krupps and Ehrhardts, are 
perfecting airship destroying artillery and experimenting with guns 
and explosives for offensive operations from a height. Airship 
manoeuvers have become a regular feature of the army's work. 

The Kaiser's aerial fleet consists to-day of the following com- 
pleted vessels: 
Name and Type. Length. Diameter. Speed. 

Rigid. Feet. Feet. Miles 

Zeppelin I 453 37 25 

Zeppelin II 453 43 28 

Zeppelin III 453 43 30 

Semi-rigid. 

Gross training ship '..... 140 30 21 

Gross 1 250 40 28 

Gross II 250 40 30 

Gross III 277 41 37}^ 

Ruthenberg 1 139 21^ 22j^ 

Non-rigid. 

Parseval 1 193 34 31^ 

Parseval III 237 40}^ 34 

Parseval IV 200 31 27^ 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 37 

ParsevalV 133 25 22j^ 

Clouth 1 140 28 22 

Erbslohl 176 33 28j^ 

Each of the above vessels is of demonstrated capacity. The Zep- 
pelins have traversed Germany from end to end, remained aloft 
for continuous periods of from twenty-eight to forty hours, and 
developed a radius of action equivalent to a flight from Berlin to 
London. The Gross and Parseval vessels have executed continuous 
cruises lasting from seventeen to twenty-four hours with a radius 
of action of between 300 and 500 miles. 

German vessels are building which represent even more powerful 
types than the fleet already afloat, three of them being of even 
larger dimensions than any of the Zeppelins yet launched. One of 
these vessels, Zeppelin IV., is intended for passenger service. Gross 
IV. for the army, Parseval VI. and VII. for passenger excursions 
this summer respectively at Munich and Berlin, Parseval VIII. for 
the German Aerial Navy League and Parseval IX. for exhibition 
flights at the Brussels Exposition. 

The Treves airship is the most remarkable of the vessels under 
construction, the distinguishing feature being the use of iron in- 
stead of the aluminum, steel and wood of other systems. Accord- 
ing to the designs of its inventor, Anton Border, it will be an im- 
mense air cruiser with accommodation for fifty or sixty persons. 

The vessel which will be launched within the next few weeks is 
provided with five motors developing altogether 480 horse-power. 
One of them, of eighty horse-power, drives the propeller, which is 
fitted at the bows. The other four develop 100 horse-power each 
and are utilized to set in motion the sixteen vertical and eight hori- 
zontal screw planes which steer the vessel upward and downward 
and to starboard and port. They also control the motion of the 
ship forward and astern. 

It is estimated that these powerful motors will give the vessel a 
speed of at least forty-four miles an hour when they are all work- 
ing, and it is even thought that an average of fifty miles an hour 
will be attained. The entire weight of the framework, motors and 
equipment is thirty tons, without the gas filling, and enormous vol- 
ume of gas contained by the vessel when fully inflated will permit 
of the transport of ten tons of freight or fifty or sixty persons. 



38 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Krupps have designed three weapons for attacking aerial craft. 
For all the Krupp guns a time fuse is used. It is asserted that the 
fuse is perfectly safe to handle, yet so delicately adjusted that it 
will detonate the shell immediately on piercing the hull of an airship 
or a balloon. The Krupp airship destroying guns are also provided 
with tracers whereby the trajectory can be followed by day or 
night. 

The Ehrhardt airship destroyer is designed for mounting on a 
motor car. It is a rapid fire gun, which discharges a 3.3 pound 
shell by means of a time fuse over a range of 8,800 yards, or at an 
elevation of forty-three degrees to a height of 4,750 yards. 

The German army's scheme of aerial defence, says the Daily Mail 
correspondent, contemplates a chain of permanent stations which 
will eventually extend in a sweeping semi-circle from the extreme 
western corner of the empire through the north and east. The 
idea is that Germany shall be fortified in the air along her entire 
French and Russian frontiers and in the area flanking the sea. 
Every fortress within this arc is to be provided with one or more 
vessels. 

At present the military airship stations are at Metz, Cologne, 
Frankfort, Berlin, Friedrichshafen and Mannheim. The larger 
ones, at Metz, Berlin and Friedrichshafen can accommodate two 
or more vessels of the largest type. Gas generating plants are 
r.ttached to the military airship stations, which are to be duplicated 
gradually at all strategic points as the fleet grows. 

Why then all this astonishing activity .^^ Why such 
schemes and preparations.'* Are these the harbingers of 
universal peace or universal war.'* One must be blind to 
say that universal peace is in sight. The age is getting 
ready for the final conflict and the coming crash. 

Aeroplanes for the Coming Wars. It seems the great 
nations of Europe are not only building their Dreadnoughts 
and continually improving their armies, but they also are 
building an aerial navy. Dirigibles and aeroplanes are 
ready to enter the coming warfare. The German Press 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 39 

recently published statistics of the dirigible balloons and 
aeroplanes. 

Germany possesses fourteen dirigibles of six different 
models, namely Gross, Zeppelin, Parseval, Schutte, Sle- 
mens-Shuckert and the Rhine- Westphalian airship, and 
five aeroplanes. 

France has seven dirigibles and twenty-nine aero- 
planes. 

Italy, three dirigibles and seven aeroplanes. 

Russia, three dirigibles and six aeroplanes. 

Austria has two dirigibles and four aeroplanes. 

England, two dirigibles and two aeroplanes. 

Spain, one dirigible and three aeroplanes. 

Altogether European nations have thirty-two dirigibles 
and fifty-six aeroplanes that are presumed to be available 
for service. 

What days of horror will come when the storm at last 
breaks and nation will lift up sword against nation and 
kingdom against kingdom; then these modern inventions, 
more or less inspired and controlled by the god of this age, 
will be used to execute their awful work. 

When the Lord comes out of heaven with His armies 
the apostate nations of Christendom will face Him. Read 
Revel. xvi:16; xvii:14; xix:19. The thought comes. May 
not the airship as it is being rapidly improved and perfected 
play an important part when the nations defy Him who 
comes as Lord of lords out of heaven? In their blindness 
under the satanic leadership of the Beast, the kings of the 
earth will gather themselves together to make war against 
Him, who comes at last to claim His inheritance. When 
they behold up in the air the fiery rays of His Glory they 
may, in their utter blindness, send up their aeroplanes with 



40 CURRENT EVENTS. 

high explosives to discharge their guns at Him, who comes 
to deal with them in judgment, while the armies on earth 
are ready to oppose Him. The use of the airship and the 
fiercest haste to perfect it and use it in warfare is very 
significant. 

Russia's Advance upon Persia. While the eyes of the 
world have been centered upon Turkey and its revolution, 
resulting in a great victory for constitutionalism, the revo- 
lution in Persia has been but little noticed. A great struggle 
for liberty has been going on in the land of the Shah. That 
despot has been trembling for his throne and his life. 
Thousands have been killed and the whole Empire seems 
to be in a fearful chaotic condition. Russia, the "friendly" 
neighbor of Persia, however, has upheld the government in 
Persia, both by money and soldiers. The Shah appealed to 
Russia for help to restore order and Russia has answered 
But this will be the pretext, no doubt, of a permanent occu- 
pation of parts of Persia by the Russian army and govern- 
ment. Russian political papers have agitated of late the 
seizure of points in Persia which would enable Russia to 
control the Mediterranean coasts of Asia Mmor and make 
the Persian Gulf her highway to India. The Nashn, 
Gazeta published in St. Petersburg, boldly suggests the 
occupation of Azerbaijan, the military key of Armenia, 
and the Mesopotamian outlet to Bagdad, as well as to the 
waters of the Persian Gulf. 

Russia will succeed in extending her territory into Persia 
and Armenia. Thus she will surround the holy land, 
Palestine. For years Russia has aimed to possess 
Palestine. 

All this is of deep interest to the student of the Bible. 
Russia is Israel's last enemy. Russia's coming invasion of 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 41 

Palestine and the awful end Russia will have, Is propheti- 
cally described In Ezeklel, chapter xxxvIII. With Russia 
are seen "many people." "Thou shalt ascend and come 
like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, 
thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee" 
(verse 9). Persia is mentioned as belonging to Russia In 
that day of Invasion. The Russian advance Into Persia 
is therefore of great significance. 

Wars and Rumors of Wars. The complete defeat of the 
Turkish Empire is in sight. The allied armies gain victory 
upon victory and we should not be at all surprised If 
Constantinople will fall in their hands. History is being 
made fast In these days. Then there are the rumors of a 
great coming European war. The nations are preparing 
for war. Instead of turning their swords Into plowshares, 
they turn the plowshares into swords. Disarmament is an 
idle dream. The revolution in Mexico goes on with all its 
horrors and no one knows how It all will end. 

The days our Lord predicted are upon us. Wars and 
rumors of wars, soon to be followed by nation lifting up 
sword against nation (Matthew xxiv). 

The United States and Mexico. There is no need to 
rehearse all the details of recent events In connection with 
the Mexican situation. Our country at last acted upon a 
trifling Incident in comparison with the many outrages 
and murders committed against Americans in that land of 
bloodshed and crime — Mexico. Warships were rushed 
South, the thousands of men encamped in Southern Texas 
were rushed to the borders and then Mexico itself was 
invaded. Vera Cruz was taken. About four hundred 
Mexicans were killed in battle and seventeen American 
marines lost also their lives, while many more were 



42 CURRENT EVENTS. 

wounded. The flag of this country now floats over Vera 
Cruz. And yet our government declares that there is on 
war with Mexico. If the above capture of Vera Cruz 
is not warfare, then we do not know what is war. 

At the same time the rebels threatened also the U. S. 
and, strange to say, the authorities became rather friendly 
with the villainous Villa to get his good will. This man, 
according to reports, is, perhaps, a greater criminal than 
Huerta. And now mediation is attempted. Assurances 
are given that no war will come, but all will be peaceably 
settled. Yet at the same time great preparations are 
made for war. Thousands of men are ready to go to 
battle. Train-loads of supplies and ammunitions are 
rushed South. The Constitutionalists threaten to con- 
tinue their bloody work. One leader declared that he 
would set up a guillotine in one of the public parks when 
Mexico is taken and 10,000 of the better class would be 
killed. Lists of names are prepared already to help in 
these executions. Thus the French revolution is repeated. 
Can this government stand by and look on.^ How will 
it end.^ It remains to be seen, and we hope and pray that 
the awful events which threaten may be averted. Let us 
not forget that in all these events and upheavals God's 
Word is vindicated once more, for it predicts these very 
scenes down to the end of the age. 

The United States of Europe. Sir Max Waechter, of 
London, has been spending enormous sums of late adver- 
tising his European Unity League. He is financing 
personally the scheme in bringing all Europe under one 
central government. Here is the plan, which he is 
advocating: 

"If we are to abolish war and tlic ruinously expensive prepara- 
tions for war that are now impoverishing Europe we must abolish 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 43 

the disunion at present existing among the great powers. The 
antagonistic grouping of the six big nations into the triple alliance 
(Germany, Austria and Italy) and the triple entente (Great Britain. 
Russia and France), which has produced so much distrust and 
jealousy and wild competition in armaments, must give way to the 
sextuple alliance, and this will naturally lead to a general federation 
of European countries — the United States of Europe. Under 
present conditions all attempts to restrict armaments are bound 
to end in failure. Armaments can be restricted only if they become 
unnecessary; only when Europe is united. 

"Unification should take place on a federal and economic basis — 
like the United States of America — leaving to each component 
nation the fullest possible measure of individual liberty and enabling 
it to deal with its own affairs in its own way. A feature of the 
Federation would be the elimination of the present customs boun- 
daries. All Europe should form one great free trade market pro- 
tected by a proper tariff against the nations without. 

"Under the federation the two and a half billion dollars now 
spent by Europe annually on its armies and navies would go into 
the channels of trade and commerce and the five million soldiers 
and sailors, the strongest and healthiest men of their races, would be 
released to re-enter the field of production and to maintain them- 
selves and others by the work of their hands, instead of being main- 
tained by the rest of the population. In America enterprise is 
greater and wages are higher, largely because the wealth of the 
country is not drained away in the mad race for armaments." 

Peace by Force. One thousand million dollars is the 
amount spent by the world annually on armaments in 
order to maintain peace, according to the estimate of 
Senator Gervais, a leading authority on military matters, 
who has just published a striking article dealing with the 
stupendous growth of armies and navies in Europe. 

"At the very moment when all nations profess the 
strongest aspirations toward universal peace," he says, 
"Europe is in a perfect frenzy over military preparations." 
He points out that aside from the Balkan trouble and the 



44 CURRENT EVENTS. 

new French and German army laws, which summon 
1,500,000 men to the flag yearly, all Parliaments are 
confronted with projects for military reorganization and 
reinforcement. 

England has its campaign in favor of compulsory service 
and a stronger territorial force. Spain's Parliament is 
discussing a bill to settle the problem of naval recruitment. 
Belgium is occupied with problems of militia and the best 
means to insure the country's neutrality in the event of 
a Franco-German conflict Italy's Senate is engaged on a 
bill for army recruiting, which has already passed the 
Chamber of Deputies, with the object of increasing the 
peace standing by 25,000. Austria's War Minister is 
preparing a bill for raising the number of recruits from 
197,000 to 220,000 in 1918, and the total peace standing 
from 464,000 to 600,000, while radical reforms are con- 
templated in army organization. 

Of the world's expenditure of $1,000,000,000 for the 
upkeep of armaments France's share last year was one- 
fifth. M. Gervais points out that the French army 
budget this year amounts to $240,000,000. But does the 
Word of God promise such a peace by force? The true 
peace will be brought to this restless age by the Coming of 
of the Prince of Peace. 

The Balkan Chaos. Although it was early in August, 
1913, that a treaty of peace was signed at Bucharest 
between the warring Balkan States, an outbreak is again 
probable as grave trouble is reported on the northern 
frontier of Albania whither Servia is sending 20,000 troops. 
The agreement between Turkey and Bulgaria and the 
delay in an agreement between the Ottoman and Greek 
governments is worrying the Greeks, who are afraid that 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 45 

the unexpectedly rapid agreement between Turkey and 
Bulgaria covers an aggressive convention. On the other 
hand, pending the signature of the Turco-Bulgarian agree- 
ment, there are rumors of a hitch between these two 
countries and a possible reawakening of trouble. 

It seems now only the question of time when the third 
Balkan War will break out. 

The Fears of a Small Country. Belgium is one of the 
smallest countries in Europe. Situated as it is in case of 
a universal war it would be very much exposed to the in- 
vasion of different armies. Belgium is therefore preparing 
for the worst. 

Belgium's continued activity in adopting certain well-defined 
measures of national defence and protection keeps alive in every 
one's mind the alarming idea that armed conflict in Europe is a thing 
to be expected. The government does not divulge what it believes 
or fears; it quietly goes ahead with its preparations, leaving the 
people to speculate as they will. 

The Belgian army has been increased to a peace footing abso- 
lutely without precedent; never before has the country had so 
many men under arms in times of peace, and Antwerp, on the 
Scheldt, already one of the strongest fortresses of Europe, is rapidly 
being strengthened, evidently with the idea of making the city as 
near impregnable as possible. Belgium has a gold reserve of 
$48,000,000; this is the national treasure. In order further to insure 
its safety a large part of this money has been moved from Brussels 
to Antwerp, the reason given being that the latter city is more 
secure in case of war. The national archives also have been trans- 
ferred to the fortified metropolis for the same reason, a precaution 
which would not ordinarily be taken except at a time of national 
anxiety. These events, considered in connection with the recent 
mobilization and seemingly tending to show that the international 
outlook may not be as clear as is generally supposed, have caused 
much comment in Belgium. 



46 CURRENT EVENTS. 

It is a striking sign of the times, these fears of all the 
nations of the civilized world. Our Lord announced that 
at the close of this age there should be "upon the earth 
distress of nations with perplexity." Both "distress of 
nations" and "perplexity" are here. During 1914 this 
distress will become more intense and widespread. No 
relief can come till He comes who will speak peace to the 
nations and who maketh wars to cease (Ps. xlvi:9). 

For the Peace of Christendom. In 1895 there existed in 
England a nation-wide demand for the overthrow of the 
Turkish empire. This demand was occasioned by the 
Armenian massacres in which many thousands of Chris- 
tians lost their lives. Lord Salisbury on November 9th 
in that year delivered a significant address on the situation, 
from which we quote: 

"Turkey is in that remarkable condition that it has stood for half a 
century, mainly because the great nations of the world have deter- 
mined that for the peace of Christendom the Ottoman Empire must 
stand. They came to that decision nearly half a century ago. I do 
not think they have altered it now. The danger, if the Ottoman 
Empire should fall, would not merely be the danger that would 
threaten the territories of which the empire consists; it would be the 
danger that the fire there lit would spread to other nations, and in- 
volve all that is most powerful and civilized in Europe in a dangerous 
and calamitous conflict. That was a danger that was present to 
the minds of our Fathers when they resolved to make the integrity 
and independence of the Ottoman empire a matter of European 
treaty, and that is a danger that has not passed away." 

This was a political prophecy. The Ottman empire is 
going to pieces and for months Europe has hovered on the 
verge of the most awful conflict known in human history. 
The danger is not passed. The crisis is still on. 

The Peace Treaty. An Alliance against War. On 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 47 

August 3,1912 treaties of unlimited arbitration between the 
United States and France and the United States and 
England were signed. That this is an event of great 
importance as well as of deep significance no one doubts. 
A New York daily states "the event marks the dawn of 
a new and auspicious era in the affairs of the nations; 
it means that the two greatest republics, together with 
the greatest of empires, have in these compacts dedicated 
themselves to the cause of international peace and to 
that end have given a pledge that all controversies arising 
among them, even those involving questions of national 
honor, shall be settled in high courts of law and reason." 
Similar treaties with the German Empire, the Netherlands, 
Sweden and Japan are passing preliminary stages. The 
press, especially the religious and semi-religious, is en- 
thusiastic about this great step towards "their millen- 
nium." Universal peace is now almost in sight, they 
declare. President Taft comes in for the greatest share of 
praise for this great achievement. 

"Man's Day" seems now to have reached its height. 
Could this present evil age, as it is termed by God's 
Spirit, bring forth a greater achievement than a universal 
peace, without Him, who is the Prince of Peace .^ The god 
of this age, Satan, is a being of wonderful wisdom and 
intelligence. He anticipates the coming of the Lord Jesus 
Christ to establish His glorious rule of righteousness and 
peace over this earth. He knows that the kingdoms of 
this earth which he still controls must soon become the 
kingdoms of God and His Christ. He knows that God 
has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in 
righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; 
whereof He hath given assurance unto all, in that He 



48 CURRENT EVENTS. 

hath raised Him from the dead. Satan knows that when 
the rightful King appears the second time, even this same 
Jesus, He will teach the nations to learn war no more. 
And now to blind the eyes of them that believe not, he 
brings about a movement which looks like a coming 
universal peace. Peace treaties, signing of papers, etc., 
do not mean the abolishment of war, that horrible, fearful 
thing of which a great general said, "War is hell." War 
is not a skin disease which can be cured by a few strokes 
of the pen and a few resolutions. 

Peace will come. It must come. All the earth will 
find rest. Nations will have to turn their swords into 
pruning hooks and their spears into plowshares. Uni- 
versal peace is bound to come and in its wake blessings 
untold for all the inhabitants of the earth. How do we 
know.^ Certainly not from the literature of heathen 
nations, nor from the writings of poets or philosophers. 
The Bible, the revelation of God, tells us about this great 
coming peace and blessing for the earth. But how will it 
be brought about .^ The Bible is not silent on that. It 
gives us God's purpose and method. Man's efforts cannot 
secure it. The present age called '*Man's Day" (1 Cor. 
iv:3, marg. reading), does not wind up with a universal 
peace the result of legislation, nor with universal right- 
eousness. The same Word which predicts a coming peace 
also predicts an apostasy, increasing unrighteousness and 
fearful judgments. 

Universal peace, universal blessings and universal right- 
eousness is in God's holy Word closely linked with the 
second personal coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The 
result of His glorious manifestation will be "peace on 
earth." His coming, however, is preceded by the greatest 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 



49 



upheavals the world has ever seen. With His coming 
judgments are bound to be executed, "for when thy judg- 
ments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will 
learn righteousness" (Isaiah xxvi:9). Peace without the 
Prince of Peace is a delusion. The student of the prophetic 
Word will find in these peace endeavors a striking con- 
firmation of the predicted coming events. First a seeming 
peace established by political schemes and then that false 
peace will be taken from the earth (Rev. vi:l-4). 

How Will It All End? The military conditions in Europe 
are staggering to say the least. Germany, France and 
England are running a race, each outdoing the other in 
military expenditures. They say it is needed to keep 
peace, an armed peace. It has been figured out that this 
"armed peace" is about as expensive as war itself. We 
print the latest statistics: 

Cost of Armies and Navies. 



Expended 

Country. for Army. 

Austria-Hungary. . . $73,513,000 

France 187,632,000 

Germany 203,938,000 

Great Britain 138,800,000 

Italy 81,033,000 

Japan 49,196,000 

Russia 265,642,000 

Spain 37,671,000 

Turkey 42,071,000 

United States 162,357,000 

Totals $1,241,853,000 



Expended 
for Navy. 

$13,731,000 
83,286,000 

114,508,000 

203,020,000 
39,643,000 
43,405,000 
54,128,000 
13,696,000 
6,223,000 

120,729,000 



Total 

Military 

Charge. 

$87,244,000 

270,918,000 

318,446,000 

341,820,000 

120,676,000 

92,601,000 

319,770,000 

51,367,000 

48,294,000 

283,086,000 



$692,369,000 $1,934,222,000 



50 



CURRENT EVENTS. 



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POLITICAL EVENTS. 51 

A World Center Proposed. Hendrik Christian Ander- 
son, the Norwegian-American sculptor of Newport, R. I., 
presented to King Victor Emmanuel of Italy, during a 
private audience to-day, the results of his nine years' 
labor on the project for the establishment of a world 
center for international interests. 

The king displayed much interest in the scheme, as 
one of the sites proposed for the new international city, 
which it is suggested shall be capable of housing 1,000,000 
inhabitants, is in Tripoli. 

It has been suggested here that this project might be 
developed in co-operation with Secretary of State Bryan's 
peace propaganda, in which it is proposed that the differ- 
ences between any two nations shall be submitted to a 
commission appointed by both, which shall investigate 
the controversy and make findings of fact, without at- 
tempting to pass on the merits of the case. It is pointed 
out that, besides Italy, nine other nations have responded 
favorably to Secretary Bryan's suggestion. 

Thus man plans during "man's day." "Let us make us 
a name" is the key note of all those big schemes. They 
are used by the god of this age, Satan, to lull a secure 
world to sleep. "Peace and safety" is what the world 
and apostate Christendom wants to hear. Sudden judg- 
ment will bring some day the terrible awakening. 

The Balkan Situation. While peace has been arranged 
between Turkey and the Balkan Allies, the alliance of the 
States has ended in a deplorable failure. The Turks were 
forced to surrender all their European territory, with the 
exception of Constantinople. Other questions relating 
to Albania and a cash indemnity were left unsettled. 
Then the Allies began to fight among themselves. 



52 CURRENT EVENTS. 

"Without waiting, however, to conclude peace with 
Turkey, the Allies began to quarrel among themselves, 
and the. press dispatches have reported actual armed 
conflicts. The tone of the press in all the Balkan capitals 
is defiant, and reports say the military preparations are 
more thorough than those preceding the war. Other 
dispatches represent the Balkan premiers as trying to 
smooth out the diflBculties by a conference. Servia and 
Montenegro both claim northern Albania, while Greece 
and Bulgaria have come to blows over the territory of 
Salonika, the most precious conquest of the war. The 
London, Paris, and Berlin correspondents at Sofia say the 
Greeks provoked the battle which took place to the north 
of Salonika in which 300 Bulgarians were slain." 

And now Servia and Bulgaria are fighting each other. 
A fierce war between the two seems threatening. Russia 
looks on as if awaiting the proper moment to swoop down 
upon these States. Even a possible outcome cannot be 
predicted. Turkey, as far as Europe is concerned, is 
ended. We shall follow the developments with much 
interest. 

We Stand at Armageddon and we Battle for the Lord. 
With this sentence Mr. Theodore Roosevelt closed his 
famous speech in Chicago, where he was nominated candi- 
date for the Presidency by a new party. This statement 
has since then been heralded all over the country with 
other quotations from the Word of God. It takes with 
the superficial masses ignorant of the meaning of the word 
"Armageddon." Wc fear even Mr. Roosevelt does not 
know the truth about Armageddon. That battle cannot 
be fought now. When this age closes the wicked forces 
will be gathered together to battle against the Lord, who 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 53 

is about to come out of Heaven to deliver the remnant 
of His people. The battle of Armageddon will therefore 
take place at the very close of this age and will be fought 
in Palestine and not in the United States When the day 
arrives the Lord does not need human help to overthrow 
the forces of evil, Antichrist and the apostate nations. 
The Lord will battle and win the victory. "And I saw 
heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat 
upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteous- 
ness He does judge and make war" (Rev. xix:ll). "And 
I saw the beast and the Kings of the earth, and their 
armies gathered together to make war against Him that 
sat on the horse and against His army" (Rev. xix:19). He 
that comes out of the Heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ 
and His armies are composed of the Saints of God and His 
holy angels. Then, when His blessed feet stand once 
more upon the Mount of Olives, He will fight against those 
nations and overthrow their power (Zech. xiv:l~5). The 
battle of Armageddon will mark the beginning of "The 
Day of the Lord." The statement "We stand at Arma- 
geddon and we battle for the Lord" is a catchword; these 
politicians do not stand at Armageddon nor can they 
battle for the Lord. All, however, is significant. Matters 
are hastening on rapidly towards the appointed end. 
Political, commercial, moral corruption and every other 
form of evil will increase till He comes, who will smite the 
earth with His righteous judgment and deal with Satan 
and his deluded victims. 

We quote in connection with this Armageddon saying 
a poem, which appeared in the N, Y. Sun: 

Spake the One, Supreme, Eternal, to the one who lives a day: 

Why the drum beat and the bugle call and militant array? 



54 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Why the blatant voice resounding? Why the challenge and the 

boast?" 
And the transient One made answer: **I have generalled Thy host; 
I have taken spear and buckler, I have girded on my sword, 
And I go to Armageddon to do battle for the Lord." 

Spake the One, Supreme, Eternal: "Have I called on thee to save? 
Oh, My captains must be humble ere they clamor to be brave. 
Not for Me the boasting chieftain, nor the one who seeks his own. 
Not Goliath and his armor, but the lad with sling and stone. 
Yea! 'tis he who asks for nothing and who dreams of no reward, 
Who shall fight at Armageddon in the battle of the Lord.'* 

Spake the One, Supreme, Eternal: "Cast thy clanking armor by; 
Fling thy sword to those who gave it; drain thy braggart fountain 

dry; 
Break thy sordid dream of power; set thy blinded followers free, 
Ere thou dare to raise My standard or presume to follow Me; 
Pledge thy soul to all disaster to fulfil my given word. 
Then go forth to Armageddon and do battle for the Lord." 

The Peace Palace Dedicated. The Peace Palace in the 
Hague has at last been dedicated. It is a magnificent 
structure, beautiful to look at. If universal peace could 
be brought about by Peace conferences, Peace delegations, 
by resolutions or the dedication of a magnificent palace, it 
surely would be in sight. We have heard much of the 
soon-coming peace. But as we have repeatedly pointed 
out in these columns, the nations who have a hand in the 
Peace proclamations continue to arm. In fact such im- 
mense preparations for war as are being made now outdo 
anything and everything in past history. Even the 
Netherlands, where the Peace palace is situated, prepare 
for war. Time will tell what will become of the Peace 
palace and what will happen in it. We know from 
Scripture how Peace will come at last (Ps. xlvi:9; Zech. 
ix:10). 



POLITICAL EVENTS. 55 

A New Invention for Modem Warfare. A new machine 
has been invented which will murder hundreds of men in 
the twinkling of an eye: 

The deadly fighting machine is the invention of a Norwegian 
engineer and has been named for him the Aasen mine. It consists 
of a metal cylinder with a cone-shaped top. Enclosed in this are 
two pounds of a new explosive more powerful than anything now 
in use, and four hundred projectiles of various shapes and sizes. 

The mine is buried in the earth and attached to it is an electric 
cable which can be extended to almost any distance. An explosion 
can be produced only by sending a current through the cable. 
Unless the mine's mechanism is put in motion by an electric current 
it remains perfectly harmless. Rifle bullets can even be fired into- 
it without the least danger of its exploding. 

But the minute an electrical connection is made at the other end of 
the cable the mine shoots up through the thin layer of earth which 
covers it. 

In tests made in Norway one of these mines worked destruction 
over an area more than eight hundred yards square. There seems 
little doubt that two or three of them exploded at the right places 
could annihilate a whole army. 

The small size of these mines makes them easy to carry for long 
distances. They can be shipped on trains or steamers in perfect 
safety, for they cannot explode unless a current of electricity is turned 
into their mechanism. The inventor claims that they can remain 
buried in the ground for years without deteriorating in the slightest 
degree. 

French army officers who have been studying this new invention 
declare it to be the deadliest weapon yet devised and that it makes 
individual courage a factor that can be entirely neglected in the 
wars of the future. 

This also belongs to the boasted triumphs of the twen- 
tieth century civilization. How terrible it will be should 
these new explosives, new inventions, high-power machine 
guns be put in practice! It will surely come during that 
time of great tribulation with which the present age, 
according to divine prediction, will end. 



Religious Apostasy. 



No Successors of Bradlaugh and Ingersoll? In an 

address before the Central Y. M. C. A. in the City of 
Toronto, Mr. George Jackson, Pastor of the Sherbourne 
Street M. E. Church, who will take up soon a professor- 
ship in Victoria College of that denomination, denied 
boldly the inspiration of the accounts given in Genesis 
concerning the Creation, the Fall, the Deluge, etc. He 
declared that these accounts are neither historic nor 
scientific, but a collection of legends having a deep religious 
meaning. At the close of his address this critic made 
the statement that neither Bradlaugh nor Ingersoll had 
had successors, and they never would, because a changed 
method of interpretation had robbed them of their miser- 
able stock in trade. 

There is some truth in this; but this preacher does not 
see the true reason why Ingersoll has had no successor, 
nor will have one. It is not true that Higher Criticism has 
robbed infidels of their stock of trade. It is positively 
false. The truth is Higher Criticism has accepted the 
stock of trade of infidels like Thomas Paine, Renan, Vol- 
taire, Bradlaugh and Ingersoll and the professors and 
preachers who deny the inspiration and revelation of the 
opening chapters of the Book of Genesis, the chapters, 
which contain the foundation truths of the entire Bible, are 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 57 

the legitimate successors of infidel lecturers like the for- 
gotten IngersolL There is no need for such infidel lec- 
turers in our times because hundreds of preachers do the 
same work more successfully, than Ingersoll ever did. Of 
the two, an outspoken infidel, who disowns all connection 
with Christianity and a man, who professes Christianity 
but undermines the faith in God's Word and denies the 
authority of the Bible, the former is certainly the more 
honest of the two. The hand of the evil master, who 
stands behind these continued attacks, is seen in the fact, 
that these men with their '^infidel stock of trade" are put 
into a position where they can reach and influence the 
immature minds of the young. We have of late heard 
of other men of the same stamp, who left the pastorate 
and became professors to teach their miserable errors. 
We are thankful that our friend. Dr. Elmore Harris, of 
Toronto, wrote such a vigorous and able reply to the 
remarks of Mr. Jackson. Adr. Harris says at the close of 
his remarks the following: 

As one whose lifelong interest in the work of the Young Men's 
Christian Association is well known, I sincerely hope that the 
Board of Directors of the Central Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion will at as early a date as possible repudiate the statements 
of the lecturer who under their auspices has recently spoken so 
disparagingly of a portion of the Word of God, found in the 
Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament which constituted the Bible 
of our Lord, and of which the Greatest Apostle wrote: "All Scrip- 
ture is given by inspiration of God." Such destructive utter- 
ances regarding a portion of the Sacred Scriptures reveal to us the 
absolute impossibility of reconciling, as some have hoped to do, the 
contending parties on the great question of Biblical criticism. 

We have not heard if the directors of the Toronto Y. M* 
C. A. have acted on this request. 



58 CURRENT EVENTS. 

**The Time Will Come," remarked a skeptic to the 
philosopher, 'Vhen men will no more believe in God than 
they now believe in ghosts." "Should that time come/' 
was the rejoinder, "they will begin again to believe in 
ghosts." And this time does not need to come. It is 
here already. 

Christian Endeavorers' Convention. Thousands of 
Endeavorers gathered in Atlantic City, N. J., during 
July. President Taft was there and was introduced by 
Dr. Clark. Of course Mr. Taft's address was greeted 
with tremendous enthusiasm. That Mr. Taft is an out- 
spoken Unitarian, who denies the Lord of Glory, is too 
well known to need restatement. The Endeavor move- 
ment is evidently corrupting itself and must be looked 
upon as siding with the apostasy. 

Triumphant Romanism. The unsettled, drifting and 
apostate conditions of Protestantism are now constantly 
used by the Romish "church" to show that the reforma- 
tion movement is a tremendous failure. Roman Catho- 
licism lifts its head and realizes the great opportunity it 
has in the English speaking world. Its claims become 
more bold and vigorous. It is the beginning of that 
revival, which the Word predicts for the end time. As 
reported in our November issue the Ecumenical Con- 
ference on Methodism endorsed more or less the destruc- 
tive Criticism, which is so prominent in that denomination. 
A leading Roman Catholic periodical, published in 
Canada, makes the following comment: 

"We can well remember the day when Catholics throughout 
the world were pictured as the enemies of the Bible, simply because 
the Church insisted that every Tom, Dick, and Harry was not 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 59 

competent to Interpret it as they pleased. The Toms, Dicks, 
and Harrys of our Methodist brethren have certainly been in- 
strumental In creating a great deal of confusion in their own fold, 
and, after we have read their utterances, we are not surprised at 
The Guardian'^ s admission that Methodism somehow is losing its 
grip all along the line. These Methodist critics of the pulpit who 
are preaching their doubts have unsettled the simple faith of the 
rank and file; and, in the course of the debate, the pathetic admis- 
sion stands out forcibly that the people sitting in the pews are look- 
ing wistfully and vainly to the pulpits for the assurance that there 
is at least some one thing upon which Methodist faith can rest." 

What a clever argument! The next thing is that 
"mother church" as they term their system (the Mother 
of harlots according to the Bible) alone has the founda- 
tion upon which faith rests. And such language blinds 
the eyes of thousands of unsaved "Protestants" who 
sooner or later will be swallowed up by Rome. Rome is, 
has been and ever will be the enemy of the Bible. 

A Common Religion as the Hope of the World. Some 
time ago there was held in London the "Universal Races 
Congress." One of the leaders, Sir Harry Hamilton 
Johnston, Vice-President of the Royal Anthropological 
Institute, suggests now in The Contemporary Review a 
universal religion for all races, and according to his views 
such a religion would solve forever the problems of race 
differences, race aversion, hatred, malice in strife. It 
would be the hope of the human race. 

"If only we could agree upon a common interracial religion, and 
that the most simple, undogmatic form of Christianity — Chris- 
tianity without the creeds that were unknown to Christ! The 
Christian principles that were laid down in the authentic gospels and 
epistles still remain unsurpassed as a rule of conduct, as a basis of 
practical ethics. They are unconnected with totemism, sabbaths, 
fetish-worship, mysticism, vexatious observances, litanies, and the 



60 CURRENT EVENTS. 

disputable adjuncts of a religion. If we could agree to define and 
adopt such a basis and make it the state of religion of every country, 
with leave to each person and community to add, on their own 
account, the elaborations of ritual necessary to some individualities, 
we should have gone far to establish a brotherhood of man, a brother- 
hood which need not mean necessarily a mingling of blood, but a 
common sympathy and interest in the development of humanity. 
Applying Christian principles, the white man would treat the other 
races of mankind with kindness and justice, without scorn or harsh 
impatience; and they, on their part, would co-operate with him in 
the tremendous struggle with the blind and heartless forces of 
nature which ever and again seem to threaten man's very existence.'* 

In such an interracial religion in which Christian princi- 
ples are maintained, he sees the great advancement of 
the nations in thus bringing them together. 

"Japan would make a tremendous step forward in the comity of 
nations if to-morrow she declared her state religion to be undog- 
matic Christianity. The only hope for the continued survival of the 
Turkish dynasty and empire is for it to have no state religion at 
present, so that Christianity and Judaism may be placed on at least 
an equal footing with Islam, so that mass may once more be sung 
at St. Sophia's, and Jerusalem be restored to the Jews as a religious 
center, while Christians would be allowed to visit Mecca as freely 
as Mohammedans are permitted to enter St. Peter's, St. PauFs, St. 
Mungo's of Glasgow, or St. Sofia's Church at Kief." 

But what is this **undogmatic Christianity .f^" A denial 
of Christianity itself. Certain ethical teachings, which 
are also found in some heathen religions, arc to be en- 
forced, but Christianity itself, which is not a system of 
ethics, but a Person, is to be rejected. All civilized 
nations surely can be united in a universal, common 
religion, which excludes the Person of the Son of God, the 
Death of the Cross and the great redemption truths made 
known by the Holy Spirit come down from heaven. 
Unitarianism, Universalism, Christian Science, Bahaism 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 61 

and parts of Protestantism which endorse the New 
Theology can fall in line with such a scheme. These 
suggestions are not new. But never before have things 
been so ready for a practical demonstration as now. 
Satan's universal church, the predicted anti-Christian 
world-church is in sight. 

Confusion Worse Confounded. Zion City, founded by 
the late deluded John Alexander Dowie, seems to have 
become the Mecca of all the cranks of the different fanati- 
cal and fantastic movements. During the past summer 
seventeen religious bodies, representing thousands of 
adherents, held their gatherings in Zion. These includde 
the following: 

"Christian Catholic Apostolic Church, Overseer Volivia; 
Christian Catholic Church, Overseer Daniel Bryant; 
Original Dowieite Church, Elder Taylor; Star Christian 
Catholic Church, Overseer J. A. Lewis; Pentecostal 
Vineyard Workers, Elder Brooks; Parha mites, Holy 
Rollers, Christian Assembly, Seventh Day Adventists, 
Original Methodist Church, Feet Washers, Free Lovers, 
Colored Dowieites, Banner Bearers and Latter Day 
Saints." 

What heresy, confusion and wickedness these names 
represent! Yet they all seem to prosper and all report 
numerical and financial increase. Besides these bodies 
there are scores of other cults which belong to the. same 
class. 

A Bishop's Statements. Among the many reports 
sent to us recently about men, who deny the faith and 
reject the Bible as the holy and infallible Word of God, 
were some which relate to the utterances of Bishop W. F. 
McDowell of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In the 



62 CURRENT EVENTS. 

First M. E. Church of Evanston, 111., he boldly defended 
the modern conception of the Inspiration of the Scriptures 
and put himself on the side of ^'Higher Criticism." 

"One may still have fellowship with God and surmise that the 
Pentateuch was riot written by Moses; that the Levitical legisla- 
tion was post-exilian; that the book of Isaiah is of composite author- 
ship; that the book of Daniel is a story to illustrate how God keeps 
watch, over his own; that the book of Job is a dramatic putting 
of the problem of evil in the world, and that Jonah is an allegory 
setting forth the universality of God's love. 

"We may even go farther than that. We may admit that the 
Bible as we have it is a book derived from secondary sources; that 
the autographs of the evangelists and apostles irrevocably have 
been lost; that there are omissions and interpolations, glosses, and 
misreadings numerous enough to be discouraging; that genealogies 
and chronologies, are hopelessly confused; and that there are dis- 
crepancies of statement about matters of fact which are not to be 
reconciled. I say we may admit all that and still realize that in its 
central feature of its commission as a veritable word of God, it is 
so full, so final, so clean cut, so intelligible, so authoritative, that the 
wayfaring man has to be a superabundant fool who seriously errs with 
respect to it." 

What schoolboy talk this Is! As one, who claims a 
high position in a denomination and makes such state- 
ments, his responsibility certainly is great. Yet we were 
told that he used to be a believer in the second, pre- 
millennial coming of Christ. We have watched others, 
who gave up the blessed hope some years ago and now 
they have lost their spiritual conception and power and 
follow error. 

The drift downward is pronounced in Alcthodism. 
Some of their Bishops, professors and preachers deny the 
fundamentals. One of their book-agents has stated in 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 63 

print the infidel theories of Paine and Voltaire. No 
wonder that many loyal preachers and members of that 
denomination are saddened and perplexed. What shall 
we do? This question has often been put to us. The 
Word is clear. "From such turn away." Read 2 John, 
verses 9-11. 

Optimistic Visions. A few years before the nineteenth 
century closed the late Dr. Talmage preached a sermon on 
"a revival in Washington." He predicted that before 
the year 1900 would begin, a great revival would start in 
Washington and sweep over the entire world. We came 
recently across a quotation from that sermon. 

The Senators of the United States will announce to the State 
Legislatures that sent them here, and members of the House of 
Representatives will report to the congressional districts that elected 
them, and the many thousands of men and women now and here 
engaged in the many departments of national service will write 
home, telling all sections of the country that the Lord is here, and 
that he is on the march for the redemption of America. Hallelujah! 
the Lord is coming! I hear the rumbling of His chariot wheels. 
I feel on my cheeks the breath of the white horses that draw the 
victor! I see the flash of His lanterns through the whole night of 
the world's sin and sorrow! . . . Lord God of Joshua! Let 
the sun of this century stand still above Gibeon and the moon above 
the valley of Ajalon until we can whip out the five kings of hell, 
tumbling them down the precipices as the other five kings went 
over the rocks of Bethhoran. Ha! Ha! It will so surely be done 
that I can not restrain the laugh of triumph. 

These are indeed "great swelling words." The year 
1900 came, but the revival in Washington did not show 
up. Since then we have heard similar predictions of 
sweeping revivals, the soon coming conversion of the 
world, the redemption of the masses, and what not. But 
all these things have not materialized and the spiritual 



64 CURRENT EVENTS. 

condition of Christendom to-day is far more desperate 
than it was ten years ago. 

Rome Unchanged. Rome in her hatred of the Gospel 
and God's Holy Word is unchanged. Abundant evidence 
to this effect can easily be gathered in countries where she 
still has the power. Before us is a communication from a 
dear brother upon whose heart it was laid to scatter the 
Scriptures and preach the Gospel in the Canary Islands. 
The priests and the Romish bishop, hating the Gospel, 
brought about his arrest, and he was put into a vile 
dungeon and the guard was told to beat him severely in 
case he did not obey in all things. The brother writes: 

"The dungeon was damp and dark and the earthen floor 
was covered with filth, so that the stench was something 
awful. There was no chair, not even a straw bed to lie 
upon. After groping on the floor I discovered two men 
who had been placed in the dungeon the day before. 
No food nor even a drink of water had been given to them, 
so they were desperately hungry and thirsty. I told them 
later that I would pray for them. But hearing this they 
became frightened and said, O Sir, if you pray the guard 
will come and beat us and put a gag in your mouth. 
One of the prisoners said that he had seen instruments of 
torture as they used in the days of the inquisition, and 
that one man was so badly beaten that he died immediately 
after and was buried like a dog." 

After a few days of suffering this brother was released. 
He also says that he was arrested three times during his 
stay in the islands, spit upon and stoned. The windows 
of the little mission and the furniture were broken, etc. 
Similar persecutions take place almost constantly in 
Central and South America. "She repents not" we read 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 65 

of her in the book of Revelation. If Rome had the power 
she would instigate the same persecutions in this country. 
And she is reaching out for that power. 

Apostasy Ripening. Numerous clippings from different 
parts of the country have reached us, which give reports 
of men and institutions opposing the Bible and the Truth 
of God. Many of our readers tell us in letters of preachers 
who deny the Bible and sneer at the Gospel. Every- 
where good people are perplexed, and those who know the 
truth and love their Bibles are greatly burdened and 
ask — What is to be done.^ The conditions of apostasy 
are upon us. They cannot be changed. The tares will 
be in the field till the harvest comes, which is the end of 
this age. God expects of His people to be loyal to His 
Word and loyal to His blessed Son. This loyalty must 
be expressed in separation from evil. May He help us in 
His Grace to stand boldly for His Truth! The Reward 
is in sight. 

Making Sport with God's Law. The Holy Law of 
God is often ridiculed. Apostate Jews and apostate 
Christians laugh at the divine statement that God wrote 
the ten commandments upon the tables of stone. Others 
speak of revising the commandments and recently there 
appeared in the daily papers humorous ten command- 
ments for wives and a similar set for husbands, mocking 
God's commandment and law, which is holy, just and 
good (Rom. vii:12). All this shows the spirit of the age. 

Death and Hell Ridiculed. "It is appointed unto men 
once to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb, ix:27). This 
is the simple declaration of the Word of God. The wages 
of sin is death. "Through one man sin entered into the 



66 CURRENT EVENTS. 

world and death by sin; and so death passed upon all 
men, for that all sinned" (Rom. v:12). How the solemn 
fact of death is made light of and God's revelation con- 
cerning man's condition is defied may be learned from 
the organization of "The Jolly Pallbearers' Club" in 
St. Louis, Mo.: 

"The Jolly Pallbearers' Club," whose purpose it is to get what joy- 
there is out of a funeral, has become an organized body. Chief 
mourners were delegated, officers were elected and a bit of crape was 
decided on as a badge of membership. 

They propose, wholly and singly, not to let a funeral dirge dampen 
the ardor of their spirits, and to lay a club companion away in his 
final resting place with as much good cheer as ever characterizes 
the initiation of a new member. 

A clubhouse has been provided and there the mutuality of life and 
the probability of death will be lightsomely discussed. The motto 
of the club is "Joy," with a band of crape around it. 

They believe in the words of Joe Simmins, one of the promoters, 
that "there's too much gloom in grief," and that there are really 
attractive chances of enjoyment in a properly conducted funeral. 

Special inducements to members to die in membership will be 
made, so that the club may enjoy as many occasions as possible for 
unconfined mirth. 

Surely this outdoes heathenism. The heathen at least 
acknowledge the solemnity of death and express their 
sorrow. But here are people who would make the wages 
of sin an occasion of mirth and jollification. What 
defiance! 

Still worse is the ever-increasing denial of "judgment 
to come" and the punishment of the wicked. The whole 
country is being flooded with the miserable sheets of 
Russell's institution. The headlines state **Hell Officially 
Abolished in Washington." The "Bible Students" of 
Millennial Dawnism, or, as they call themselves, Inter- 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 67 

national Bible Student Association, held a meeting in 
Washington months ago and passed certain resolutions 
about their denials of the everlasting punishment of the 
wicked. Ever since they have sent abroad their blas- 
phemous sheets. How any sane person could ever 
believe that "hell can be officially abolished in Wash- 
ington" we cannot understand. But multitudes want 
to believe it, for they live in sin. 

What an awful awakening will come ere long! When 
God vindicates His Word these wicked apostates will 
know that "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the 
living God" (Heb. x:31). 

The Riches of Rome. Few people know of the im- 
mense wealth and princely luxuries with which the man is 
surrounded, who claims to be the successor of Peter, the 
poor Galilean fisherman. The revenue of the present 
pope, who lives in a magnificent palace, is $3,000,000 a 
year. The following gives a little idea of the treasures 
of the Vatican: 

According to an approximate valuation made several years ago 
the treasures of the Vatican, including the Basilica of St. Peter, 
and the Lateran Museums, as well as the papal summer residence 
at Castel Gandolfo, which also enjoys the privilege of extra terri- 
toriality, are worth considerably over $200,000,000. The following 
figures are given: 

Picture galleries of the Vatican $1,600,000 

Egyptian Museum 12,200,000 

Numismatic collection 5,000,000 

Museum of ancient statuary 20,000,000 

Other minor collections 3,000,000 

Vatican library 40,000,000 

Vatican archives 16,000,000 

Ancient furniture in the Vatican 5,000,000 

Tapestry and other stuffs 1,200,000 



68 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Jewelry and precious stones 14,000,000 

St. Peter's Church with statuary, marbles, mosaics, 

sacred objects, and vestments, etc 40,000,000 

Lateran museums, including the treasures and relics in 

in St. John Lateran 20,000,000 

Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo 3,000,000 

The historical interest attaching to every art object in the Vatican 
collections, the unique character of most of the ancient statues, 
bas reliefs and other archaeological specimens, and many other 
similar special considerations have to be taken into account in 
estimating the value of the treasures of the Holy See. It is obvious 
that any valuation under such conditions can only be approximate. 

Rome and the Vatican are prophetically described in 
Rev. xvii and xviii. Read these chapters and notice the 
luxuries mentioned. Silver, gold, precious stones, pearls, 
every article of ivory, marble, etc., are enumerated. The 
bodies and souls of men are also found there. But more 
than that: '*In her was found the blood of prophets, and 
of saints, and of all that had been slain on the earth" 
(Rev. xviii :24). Some day she will be remembered and 
be stripped of all her luxuries and glories by God's own 
hand. 

Heathendom and Scoffing. Paris held recently a great 
festival in honor of the *'Sun." Many thousands took 
part in it. Eloquent speeches were delivered in praise of 
"the Sun." There was much merry-making and ''Sun- 
dancing." All sports and ceremonies were in honor "of the 
Sun. With it there was much debauchery and licentious- 
ness. An old heathen sun-worshipper of past ages would 
have delighted in it and would have been perfectly at 
home. It is a sure return to the idolatries of the past, a 
fact which the Bible predicts, that men shall turn back to 
the fables and ceremonies of heathendom. Read Ezekiel 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 69 

viii:16. That was one of Israel's sins before the Lord 
judged Jerusalem. In the United States there are 
thousands of Sun-worshippers, who really worship the 
Sun. Abdul-Baha, the leader of Bahaism, is an idolator 
of the Sun. This heathen spoke in "churches" of various 
denominations in our country. 

And Paris scoffs at divine things. Of late the fashion- 
able people give parties in honor of their pet-dogs, when 
they are '^baptized"; the whole thing is an outright 
mockery. How long will God stand it.^ 

Sound Doctrine Abandoned and the Itching Ears. 

We have little to say on the spiritual conditions of 
many of the churches in this land. If we were to make 
use of all we see and hear, as well as the many news- 
paper clippings and personal incidents sent to us by our 
friends, we fear we would have to devote many pages 
of this book to this subject. This we cannot do nor do we 
like to do it. Yet it is necessary to call attention to it. 
Many of the modern "churches" are nothing else than 
clubs and societies for social, musical and intellectual 
entertainment. The men who pose as leaders and preachers 
are at best self-seeking men, who were perhaps never born 
again, blind leaders of the blind. No wonder Rome 
laughs and with a sneer points to Protiestantism as 
"Babylon (confusion) the Great." 

Before us is a newspaper advertisement from Los 
Angeles. The pastor of the Temple Auditorium an- 
nounces himself as "the brilliant, fearless, earnest preacher, 
who makes you think." His topic on a certain even- 
ing was, "The Man of the House; Is He the Head of 
the House .^" The third in a series, "How to be Happy 



70 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Though Married." A special solo is promised entitled 
^^Daddy^ Another preacher declared to be ''one of the 
most brilliant and scholarly pulpit orators" was to speak 
that same evening on "Doctor S. of Denver." What 
scholarship is needed to preach on Doctor S. of Denver 
(what it means we do not know) we fail to see. The 
advertisement has a full-sized portrait of the preacher. 
The entire thing is nauseating. But 1 John iv:5 applies 
to such men, ''They are of the world, therefore they 
speak of the world and the world hears them." 

While in Boston a few weeks ago we were told that 
Dr. Johnson, another great "divine" (as they call them) 
announced that he would speak on "the hobble skirt." 
Of course he had a big crowd of silly women and men as 
well as curiosity seekers and cranks of every description 
for which Boston has such a great reputation. According 
to the Boston Globe^ this is what he said: 

"There is no more potent influence for good in the modern com- 
munity to-day than feminine fashion. Not only are the ever chang- 
ing fashions of women one of the chief delights of civilized 
communities, but it is a safe statement to make that we have to-day 
no more conclusive key to a woman's mental and moral develop- 
ment than the clothes she wears. The man or woman who dresses 
the best, whose personal habits are the most irreproachable, is, in 
all the countries of the earth, the man or woman whose mental 
and moral development is the highest advanced. A girl or a woman 
who is self-respecting will always dress fashionably and well. The 
hobble skirt, the peach basket hat, high-heeled shoes, and all the 
thousand and one foibles of the feminine sex are entertaining and 
products of good. A girl who, on the other hand, does not care 
about dress and the latest fashions is not a normal girl. 

"The young man who contemplates marriage nowadays may fight 
shy of the girl of fashion, but he makes a mistake. He may be 
a gainer at first financially, but in the end he pays a terrible price 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 71 

for his shortsightedness. The girl who is lax about her personal 
appearance is lax mentally and morally. She is not made of the 
stuff that turns out self-respecting children. She is either a vision- 
ary, and as such an unreliable element in the community, or she is 
downright lax and shiftless. In either race she is not a safe prop- 
osition for the ordinary young man.'* 

We asked our Informant if this man has anyone to hear 
him and were told that "his" church is packed. What 
a testimony this is to the spiritual conditions of the pres- 
ent day. These men make of the unsaved masses who 
come to hear them "twofold more the child of hell." The 
Lord's Word is meant for such "Woe unto you, ye blind 
guides" (Matthew xxiii:16). Poor man! does he not 
know that the very luxuries he mentions have been the 
snare and are the snare into which thousands of girls fall 
every year to the destruction of their bodies and souls. 

From Detroit, Mich., we learn that a moving picture 
show and theatre is to be conducted by some churches. 
They have not yet decided whether to keep open on Sun- 
day or not. The Central M. E. Church of that city is 
giving occasionally moving picture shows for their young 
folk. 

But this will suffice. One dislikes to hold up those sad 
things to the light. Others we might mention we gladly 
cover up. Still God's people everywhere should be re- 
minded that the time has come of which the Holy Spirit 
speaks in 2 Tim. iv:3: "For the time will come when they 
will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts 
shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching 
ears." That time is here. 

The Downward Road of the Y. M. C. A. We have 
called attention from time to time to the drifting con- 



72 CURRENT EVENTS. 

ditions of many Y. IM. C. A. institutions. Of course there 
are many associations under the leadership of earnest 
secretaries, spiritual men who are as much grieved over 
these sad conditions as we are, but they seem to become 
less in number. The following paragraph is taken from 
the "Christian Sentinel," the most prominent Christian 
Science paper in the country: 

Salt Lake City, Utah. An audience that occupied about all 
the seat space in the Colonial Theatre heard Miss Mary Brookins 
last night (June 17) deliver a lecture on Christian Science. Oscar 
L. Cox, Secretary of the Young Men*s Christian Association of Salt 
Lake, introduced Miss Brookins, reading from a carefully prepared 
speech. He said in part: 

"Utah's welfare demands the spirit of religious tolerance which 
the Christian Science church has shown by inviting me to speak a 
word of preface this evening, for I am one whom somewhat careful 
thought has caused to accept the statement of religious truth as put 
forth by another denomination than your own. No man should 
fail these days to secure active identification with that church which 
stirs his heart to repentant shame for yesterday's failure and to 
courageous planning for to-day's victory. He need not attempt to 
coerce his intellect into the acceptance of his present or any other 
profession — the intellect cannot be coerced. It must be fed with 
fact and then followed. 

"I am glad that it is my honor to present the speaker of the 
evening, not as representing my personal viewpoint on religious 
matters, since I work with another church group, but because she 
comes to us with the ripe culture of thought and study, bringing 
the Christian Science viewpoint to our attention in such a manner 
that we may be intelligent in its consideration." 

The N. Y. Christian Advocate (Methodist) comments on 
this as follows: 

"That secretary of the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion in Salt Lake, surrounded by Mormonism of the Bring- 
ham Young type, which is far from Christianity in its 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 73 

doctrines and teachings, has himself to justify for intro- 
ducing Christian Science 'as a church' and encouraging 
the members of the Christian Science organization not to 
make any particular efforts to change their views. He 
seems not to understand that nineteen-twentieths of the 
evils and the foolish ideas in the world arise from one's 
own disposition and desires which coerce the intellect. 

"Logically, this man, representing the Young Men's 
Christian Association of Salt Lake, laid a platform for 
hobnobbing with the Mormons. Every word that he 
has here uttered would apply to them. Christian Science, 
in several respects, is as far from Christianity as the 
Mormon religion. 

"It should not be inferred from these references that we 
would suppress by law or by mob Spiritualists, Christian 
Scientists, non-polygamous Mormons. Citizens can 
choose their own religion. The question is what a pro- 
fessedly Christian representative of a Christian organiza- 
tion for the benefit of young men should do, or be allowed 
to do. 

"There should be some general supervision of the Young 
Men's Christian Association. Not infrequently some 
secretary or other oflScial places the association in a very 
bad light." 

This is about as bad as we have heard yet. Some 
years ago, the Pastor of the Central Congregational 
Church, Winnipeg, Manitoba, presided over a Christian 
Science meeting, the first, we believe, which ever was held 
in that city. He wished them God's speed. That city 
has since then become a northwestern stronghold of this 
anti-christian cult. Men who can endorse and welcome 
Christian Science are either totally ignorant of what this 



74 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Science falsely so called stands for, or they have never 
been born again, possess no spiritual life and therefore 
talk as natural men. We believe the latter is more the 
case than the former. 

The Brotherhood Federation. The following is taken 
from The Daily Mail and J? wpzV^, published in Toronto: 

The Brotherhood Federation of Canada bids fair to prove one 
of the greatest organizations in connection with men's societies 
of the Canadian churches. It has affiliated with it the Brother- 
hood of St. Andrew and Phillip, the Methodist Young Men's 
Association, the Baptist Young Men's Association, and the Con- 
gregational Brotherhood. The aims of the federation are to 
promote a closer relation between the church and the men, and 
to reach the great masses of people who are not in touch with 
religion. In fact, one of the chief characters of the federation 
is its evangelicalism, and the first clause in the constitution of 
the organization is that no society may affiliate unless it recognizes 
this important phase. Its great object is to make religion attrac- 
tive to the average man, and to reach out individually and secure 
men for Christ. The Brotherhood Federation is interdenomina- 
tional, and invites any society or organization to affiliate with it 
who will respect its ideals, and lend its assistance in the great 
evangelical work. 

Federation and combination is the program of "church- 
ism" of the future. All kinds of associations, alliances, 
brotherhoods, clubs and societies on religious ground 
were started during the last twenty-five years and now 
these are to be amalgamated into one great federation. 

The words "evangelical" and "evangelism" are main- 
tained, but stripped of their meaning. Religion of some 
kind is put in the place of salvation and religion is to 
be made attractive to the average man. From this kind 
of federation it is expected that the threatening collapse 
of churches, which have a name to live but are dead, 
may be averted. But it is Babylon pure and simple. 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 75 

"Not by might or by power, but by my Spirit, saith 
the Lord of Hosts" (Zech. iv:6). It is significant that 
the Hebrew word translated "might" means "a host 
combined" a "team." 

World Conference for Church Union. A very signifi- 
cant attempt is being made now to bring all Christendom 
together. One marked feature of this movement, in which 
it has departed from any previous effort, is its Catholic 
nature. It is not an attempt of Protestantism to ally itself 
into one camp, but its scope includes both the Roman 
Catholic and the Greek churches. During the last half of 
June commissions of English and American preachers met 
in Lambeth palace,. London, to evolve a plan whereby the 
unity of Christendom can be accomplished. Lambeth 
palace where the delegates of all denominations meet is 
the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury. We quote 
from an article of the New York Sun showing the attitude 
of the Roman and Greek churches towards this movement: 

At an interview by appointment between two members of the 
commission and Cardinal Gibbons at Baltimore the Roman Catholic 
prelate expressed much friendly interest in the subject, a desire to 
be kept in touch with the progress of the movement and a convic- 
tion both that clear statement of positions would show them to be 
nearer together than they had supposed and that nothing but good 
could come of the effort to promote the spirit in which such a con- 
ference should be undertaken. The interview was closed with 
prayer offered by the Cardinal. 

Archbishop Platon, the ruling prelate in this country of the 
Holy Orthodox Eastern Church, which is the national church of 
Russia, Greece and many of the Eastern Mediterranean countries, 
was equally favorable and satisfactory in his expressions of interest 
and willingness to help. The Archbishop said very plainly that the 
subject should have his best attention; that he would co-operate 
in every way possible as far as his communion in America was con- 



76 CURRENT EVENTS. 

cerned, and that whenever the commission should communicate 
formally with him with regard to the great conference he would 
give the communication cordial approval and would further co- 
operate in transmitting it to the Holy Governing Synod in Russia. 

Every true Christian, who knows what the Bible teaches 
concerning the ecclesiastical conditions in the close of the 
present age, will at once realize that we are here face to 
face with a most significant move. Commercial, political, 
ecclesiastical federations are on the program of the age. 
Babylon is almost in sight; it spells "concentration and 
confusion." We shall keep our readers informed on what 
is done by this world conference. 

One word more. In looking over the Presbyterian, 
Baptist, etc., delegates, who are interested in this scheme, 
we found at least five men, who say they believe in the 
second premillennial Coming of Christ and in the blessed 
Hope. We feel sorry for them. They are in very bad 
company. 

Put Him Out. On Easter Sunday evening the pastor of 
one of the largest Methodist churches in New York City 
preached a sermon on Socialism. When he had finished 
his "sermon" he announced that all those who wished 
could stay and ask questions. The whole audience re- 
mained and a Socialist tried to explain different matters. 
A tumult followed during which shouts came from all over 
the house. Then a man arose, the daily papers stated that 
he is a member of the church, and he made the statement 
to the preacher: '*Am I worshipping in the house of God 
or is this a political convention?" The pastor upon this 
plain statement got furious. "Put that man out!" he 
cried. "Have him arrested! I'll sign the complaint 
myself in court to-morrow." The head usher laid hold 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. . 77 

on the man who had made the pointed protest and was 
hurried down the aisle and out into the street. 

Comment is hardly necessary on this. The daily Press 
ridiculed this sad performance and rightly so. We know 
of other cases where good Christian men were forced out 
of the denominations because their scriptural testimony 
and protest against false teaching was obnoxious to the 
preachers and the majority of their adherents. 

The Apostasy as seen in Missionary Movements. 

During the past year in great missionary meetings a 
prominent Unitarian was permitted to take a leading part 
and give the principal addresses. This is but another 
betrayal of the Lord Jesus Christ and surely the Holy 
Spirit cannot sanction movements in which the enemies of 
the Cross of Christ are recognized and fellowship with such 
is fostered. The denier of the Deity of our blessed Lord, 
though he be a prominent person is a lost soul just like 
the most miserable fetich worshipper in Africa. The 
World Mission Conference in different ways shows the 
drift of the times. The following we quote from " The 
Nation'^ (London): 

The freshest and most striking note of the World Mission Con- 
ference is the ungrudging tribute it paid, with one or two orthodox 
caveats thrown in, to the finer elements in the non-Christian re- 
ligions of the East. This marks a great advance. A generation 
back, even three-quarters of a century ago, an important minority 
of missionaries, path-finders in the science of comparative religion, 
attached great weight to the study of the Sacred Books of the 
East. But their views were not favored by the rank and file of 
their fellow-workers. The average missionary was afraid of flat- 
tering native pride and discounting the authority of the Christian 
religion by admitting subordinate and collateral revelations. 
Various causes have contributed to the great change of which the 



78 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Conference is a witness. The doctrine of the Divine Fatherhood 
has driven the reprobationary theologian into obscurity, and en- 
couraged the more modern men to search native literature for 
"traces of the light that lighteth every man." Closer intimacy with 
native life has compelled those who have cultivated it to recognize 
that the non-Christian world has saints and moralists, and that the 
succession has not failed. Wider experience has driven the mis- 
sionary worker to the conclusion that the lines of thought already 
established within the native mind must be followed, if a vivid and 
intelligible presentation of his own faith is to be attained. 

The spirit of anti-Christ and departure from the faith 
delivered to the saints breathes in these words of comment. 
According to these statements the heathen religions of the 
East have in them finer elements, that they also possess 
"Sacred Books," that there is a "Divine Fatherhood" 
which includes all the heathen and that they possess "the 
light that lighteth every man" and that the non-Christian 
religions also have "Saints." These utterances are in 
full line with the famous, or rather infamous Congress of 
the World's Religions held in Chicago during the great 
fair. They show how all is drifting towards Unitarianism 
and Universalism. If these things are true as stated 
above in the quoted paragraph, then why go to the heathen 
at all with Christianity.^ Let them alone if the great 
heathen world is not completely lost and away from God. 
But what becomes of the most positive declarations 
of God's revelation concerning the condition of man- 
kind outside of Christ.^ These solemn declarations are 
either modified, read, as they tell us in the light of the 
Twentieth Century, or completely disbelieved as being the 
inspired Words of God. The denial of the Inspiration of 
the Bible, the evil seed sown by the destructive Bible 
criticism, is bringing a harvest. These unscriptural 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 79 

conceptions are likewise the result of that modern dream, 
which has no foundation in the Bible, that the world must 
be converted in this age. To what errors and corruption 
of doctrine has not Post-millennialism led its adherents. 

The '*New Christianity" again. The pleas for a new 
religion, a new Christianity are becoming more numerous, 
more outspoken and they are finding the willing ears of the 
great mass of the people. During the past weeks and 
months the so-called "Divinity School" of the Chicago 
University has come to the front with some very bold 
infidel utterances. The following appeared in hundreds 
of newspapers all over the land : 

Members of the University of Chicago Divinity school 
faculty have defined and formulated the characteristics of 
a "new Christianity." 

The professors note the arrival of a new type of religion 
in an official editorial in the current of the Biblical World, 
just issued by the university press. 

In the anonymous editorial, responsibility for which Is 
accepted by the thirteen editors, the university authorities 
point to the coming of the "new Christianity" as a type 
of faith which shall result in the releasing of man's minds 
from the bonds of tradition and creed, accept the results 
of the scientific and deal in every day works more than in 
theological subtleties. The religion is described as 
'^scientific, ethical, practical and altruistic." 

After stating the necessity of scientific study the author 
of the editorial proceeds: 

"If there be a controversy between Genesis and geology 
the new Christianity will stand with geology. The record 
left in the strata of the earth cannot be impugned by the 
poet of the prescientific age, even though that poet be also 



80 CURRENT EVENTS. 

a prophet of a higher conception of God than had before 
his day prevailed. In conformity to the same principle 
the new Christianity will accept the assured result of 
historical readers into the records of ancient times. 
Religion has its rights, but so also has history, and one of 
these is that it be studied by historical methods." 

Such language is more than shocking. It is Satanic! 
It is Anti-christ coming to the front and wishing to be 
heard. The new Christianity, that child of the pit which 
rejects both an infallible Word of God and an infallible 
Christ is bound to come. A little while longer and it will 
sweep everything till divine judgment sweeps it from the 
earth forever. 

The Beatification of Joan d'Arc. — Recently the 
Pope beatified the maid of Orleans, Joan d'Arc. An elab- 
orate ceremony took place. The Pope kneeled in front of 
the relics, which were upon the altar. Immense crowds 
witnessed the proceedings and all the church bells rang 
when the beatification was pronounced. The poor crea- 
ture which was thus honored was the illiterate daughter 
of a peasant. She had hallucinations, hearing voices 
which commanded her to liberate France, which was then 
in the hands of the English. She gained access to the 
Court of Charles II and was put at the head of an army. 
She raised the siege of Orleans and gained a great victory 
over the English. Later she was captured, and in her 
29th year, on May 30, 1431, burned at the stake as a 
heretic at Rouen. And now she is beatified. Rome is 
the same old Rome. Even so the Lord speaks of her in 
the Revelation: "And I gave her space to repent of her 
fornication and she repents not" (Rev. ii:21). Thyatira 
in these church messages stands for the Romish church. 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 81 

Her wicked doctrines, idolatries and spiritual fornica- 
tions are unchanged. 

This may be learned from a book published by the 
Excelsior Catholic Publ. Co. in New York. The book is 
called *The Glories of Mary." We quote from it: 

"God has placed the whole price of redemption in the hands of 
Mary that she may dispense it at will. Thou, O Mary, art the 
propitiary of the whole world." Page 85. 

"Thou art the only advocate of sinners." Page 95. 

"But now if God is angry with a sinner, and Mary takes him 
under her protection, she withholds the avenging arm of her Son 
and saves him." Page 98. 

"The only hope of sinners." Page 102. 

"I worship thy holy heart, through thee do I hope for salva- 
tion." Page 105. 

"Often we shall be heard more quickly and be thus preserved, 
if we have recourse to Mary, and call on the name of Jesus our 
Saviour." Page 112. 

"Many things are asked from God, and are not granted; they are 
asked from Mary and are obtained. And how is this? It is be- 
cause God has thus decreed to honor his Mother." Page 113. 

"To thee does it belong, says St. Bonaventure, to save whom- 
soever thou wiliest to be saved. Oh then help me, my Queen; my 
Queen save me; O salvation of those who call upon thee, do thou 
save me." Page 116. 

"In vain shall we seek Jesus unless we endeavor to find him 
with Mary." Page 138. 

"Mary was made the mediatress of our salvation." Page 128. 

"The way of salvation is open to none otherwise than through 
Mary. No one is saved but through thee." Page 143. 

"Our salvation is in the hands of Mary; he who is protected 
by Mary will be saved; he who is not, will be lost; our salvation 
depends on thee." Page 144. 

"There is no one, O most holy Mary, who can know God, but 
through thee." Page 145 

"She is the whole ground of my hope." Page 175. 



82 CURRENT EVENTS. 

"Mary is the whole hope of our salvation." Page 1 48. 

"All power is given to thee in Heaven, and on earth, and noth- 
ing is impossible to thee." Page 154. 

"By right she possesses the kingdom of her Son." Page 214. 

"It is impossible for any sinner to be saved without the help and 
favor of the most blessed Virgin." Page 197. 

"Thou art omnipotent to save sinners." Page 251. 

"She effected our salvation in common with Christ." Page 293. 

"We are all God's debtors, but He is a debtor to thee." (Mary.) 
Page 252. 

"There is no one saved but by thee; no one who receives a gift 
of God but through thee." Page 354. 

"Moreover as she is the universal advocate of all men, it is be- 
coming that all who are saved should obtain salvation by her 
means." Page 570. 

"Our salvation is in her hands." Page 576 . 

"At the command of Mary all obey, even God." Page 155. 

We feel almost guilty in reprinting those blasphemies. 

Even so she who calls herself "mother church" is described 
in another part of Revelation: "Full of names of blas- 
phemy is she the mother of harlots'' (Rev. xvii:3-5). And 
where is Protestantism? It does no longer protest. 
Protestantism, a veritable Babel itself, confusion of 
tongues, is drifting. A 'part of Protestantism is swept 
by Rationalism; another part drifts in Ritualism back 
to Rome, the one who changes not but goes on in her 
wickedness. 

Church Life up to Date. Our attention is called from 
time to time to the "churches" all over this land, which 
are turning their edifices into playhouses and tolerate 
almost everything there, but the preaching of the Gospel. 
We rarely pay attention to these things. They are only 
outward symptoms. But a Brooklyn Congregational 
* 'church" outdoes a good many of those modern 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 83 

"churches." They have formed classes in "Eugenics," 
to instruct young men and young women whom to marry 
and then, how to have children, which are "well-born." 

A progressive programme providing for classes in eugenics was 
outlined by the Rev. Lewis T. Reed, pastor of the Flatbush Con- 
gregational Church, and adopted at a church meeting Monday 
night by a majority of the 250 members present, but not without 
considerable discussion and opposition on the part of the more 
conservative. 

Two classes are planned, one for young men and one for the 
women, with well known physicians as instructors. 

There are to be weekly dancing classes besides, and provisions 
for billiards and pool, bowling alleys and other recreations for the 
young people of the church. It is planned to erect a $10,000 exten- 
sion to the parish house and to remodel the present hall. 

The church will also organize a political club, and twenty clubs 
of five men each will be formed to compete in a race for new male 
membership. 

"Congregational Church"? No, it ought to be "Con- 
gregational Club." Many of these "churches" could 
not exist if it were not for these attractions, catering to the 
tastes of the natural man. 

Church of England Nearing a Crisis. The Dean of Ca n- 

terbury has recently raised in an impassioned manner the 
cry that the English church is in great danger. He told a 
great convocation in Westminster that the present was the 
most critical period in the Church of England since the 
Reformation. The deepest controversies that ever divided 
the church are now in progress. 

The Dean declared that there is an active, earnest and 
powerful body among the clergy which is avowedly aiming 
to bring the ceremonial and doctrine of the church in 
harmony with those of the Church of Rome. They have 
advocated, he said, the reintroduction of the invocation 



84 CURRENT EVENTS. 

of the saints and the worship of the Virgin. Those on his 
(the Evangelical) side of the Church would exert every 
power they possessed, parliamentary or otherwise, to 
prevent such changes, one effect of which would be to 
preclude forever the possibility of the reunion of Christians 
in England, as even the most orthodox Nonconformists 
would have nothing to do with a Romanizing of the 
Church. 

The Dean said he did not know whether or not it was 
too late to secure peace, but a continuance of the present 
line was certain to bring civil war within the Church and 
this would entail its national ruin. 

The Bible Hated. Postmaster-General Mr. Burleson, 
has announced that the Post-office department received 
a petition from a body of citizens, urging that the Bible 
be excluded from the United States mail, on the ground 
that it contained immoral and obscene matter. 

We do not know who the petitioners are. They may be 
Romanists, Destructive Critics or Atheists. But we know 
the men who made the request are the instruments. of 
Satan. 

''Progressive Theology."* "Progress" is a word that 
is held in high esteem at the present time. To call a 
man "progressive" is to pay him a high compliment; 
and when people speak of this era as a "progressive age," 
they have bestowed upon it the highest possible praise. 
In nothing has there been more decided progress in recent 
years than in theology, and we often read in the secular 
Press items of news with reference to "progressive 
theology." 

*This paragraph is by Mr. P. Mauro. 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 85 

There are at the present time so many departures, new 
theologies, forward movements, and other religious novel- 
ties, that not many people suspect that a common spirit 
is actuating them all, and that, however different on 
the surface, they are at heart the same. The common 
principle actuating all these "advanced" and "new" 
theologies is the doctrine that man is really divine, that 
humanity and divinity are identical; or as Mr. R. J. 
Campbell expresses it, "all men are W one substance with 
the Father.' " This religion is * 'Humanism," and when 
fully established on the earth (as it will be when true 
believers have been caught away "to meet the Lord in the 
air") it will be headed by Anti-christ, and enforced by all 
the political power of the revived Roman Empire (the 
ten-horned beast) and by all the spiritual power of the 
Dragon (Rev. xiii). Those who pay attention to the 
signs of the times should carefully note the progress 
of "Humanism" in its many existing forms. 

A London paper, under heading "Progressive The- 
ology" speaks of "an interesting announcement regarding 
the progressive movement in theology made by the 
^Christian CommonwealM a weekly newspaper closely 
identified with the teachings of the City Temple." This 
is the apostate church presided over by Mr. R. J. Camp- 
bell, the well known exponent of the "New Theology." 
This is the announcement: 

"What has now been done is to form an editorial board 
under the chairmanship of Mr. Campbell, with the object 
of giving expression as far as possible to all phases of 
the movement which, though many-sided, it is claimed, is 
fundamentally one. ^Modernism in the Church of Rome, 
the Liberal Movement in the Church of England, the New 



86 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Theology in Non-conformity, the New Spirit in Unitar- 
ianism, the Reform Movement in Judaism, the Spirit of 
Modem Scientific Enquiry as represented by Sir Oliver 
Lodge, are' says the announcement 'all more or less 
akin.' The new editorial board is to demonstrate the 
essential unity of the movement." 

Then follows a long list of the names of prominent 
men, leading lights of various denominations, Oxford 
professors, men of science, etc., who compose this edi- 
torial board. This announcement speaks volumes regard- 
ing the progress of theology and shows that the "Spirit 
who now works in the children of disobedience" is be- 
ginning to consolidate his numerous followers into one 
compact body. Surely these are indeed "the last days,'* 
and on any one of them that other body, now being formed 
by the Spirit of God, — the body of Christ — may be 
caught away to meet its already glorified Head. 

Dancing in Chvu-ches. Our readers supplied us during 
the past few weeks with newspaper clippings about dancing 
classes in churches and dances which were held among the 
young people of several denominations. In Episcopal, 
Congregational and Presbyterian churches in different 
States the dance as the means to keep the young people 
"in the church" has been resorted to. A Presbyterian 
preacher in Wheaton, 111., is reported having said in justi- 
fication of dancing in the church-basement the following: 

"Yes, it is true part of the evening was spent in dancing. A little 
more than a year ago members of the church provided a 'social 
room' in the basement. This was done at a cost of about $1,800. 
It was fitted up with a small stage and a large stone fireplace. 

"One of the first entertainments given in it was a play by the 
young people of the congregation, which was repeated later. A 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 87 

second entertainment of the same general nature was *Alice in 
Wonderland* by the older children. 

"It was understood before the money was raised for the 'social 
room' that it would be used for dancing under certain careful restric- 
tions, and there has been no serious protest, though not all, of 
course, are in sympathy with it. 

"The department was introduced because of the belief of the pastor 
and the people that one of the most pressing problems of this com- 
munity is that of amusement for the young people. And on last 
Wednesday evening there was a splendid patriotic program, lasting 
till nearly 10 o'clock, and then about an hour was spent in dancing; 
and a thing that is frequently seen is a father dancing with his 
daughter." 

What else can be expected in the days of apostasy! 
This worldliness and craze for amusement is only a symp- 
tom of the wicked heart which has never received the love 
of truth. They are ^'lovers of pleasure more than lovers 
of God." It will get worse and worse and ere long the 
professing "church" sowing the wind will reap the whirl- 
wind. But what is the dance, the popular waltz? How 
and where did it originate.'* 

The waltz was invented about a hundred years ago. As 
might have been guessed or prophesied beforehand, it was 
born of the licentious stage, and is twin sister of the ballet. 
This amorous and gyratory hugging was first seen in a 
Vienna theatre, December 20, 1787, and for a time was 
thought to be too indecent to be tolerated anywhere else. 
After a time, however, it was introduced into houses of 
doubtful repute, and finally into German society. For a 
long time even Paris resisted the licentious libertinism of 
the thing, and it was not until the nineteenth century 
that it became fashionable. It then went everywhere 
with a whirl, of course, for Paris set the fashions for the 
world. The French women of compromising conscience 



88 CURRENT EVENTS. 

went Into it with an abandon which was hit off by a 
clever writer by saying before the waltz "they danced 
with their soles," after it "they danced with their souls"; 
aye, and soiled and wore out the latter as effectually as 
the former. 

More Mockery of Solemn Truths. Hallowe'en night 
is often made the occassion of all kinds of sports in 
churches. From a perfectly reliable source we hear that in 
connection with the Haywood Street Church of a Southern 
City, with lights turned low, a "chamber of horrors" had 
been fixed up for the entertainment of the young people. 
Amongst the "horrors" the pastor of the Central Methodist 
Church (having a membership of a thousand) lay in a cofifn 
representing himself dead, while the pastor of the Hay- 
wood Street Church delivered a spook address. In due 
time the devil put in his appearance, a church member 
dressed up in the shape and costume of Satan as cari- 
catured by the world. Horrible, is it not! 

But these wicked mockeries of Death and the awful 
author of sin are but the outward results of the inward 
departure from God and from His Word. 

The pastor of the above Central M. E. Church in a 
sermon a few Sundays before he "played dead" and 
mocked death, asserted that the Lord did not tell Abraham 
to slay his son Isaac, but, living in an idolatrous age, when 
his neighbors were sacrificing their children to Moloch 
had the suggestion made to his mind to do as those around 
him! 

We marvel at two things: First, how real Christians, 
men and women, who know the Lord Jesus Christ, can 
tolerate such thinga and secondly, we marvel at the 
patience of God. But wrath and judgment are gathering 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 89 

fast. God grant that some of these men may repent and 
be converted before it is too late and they become "the 
wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness and 
darkness forever." 

The Passion Play Once More. That miserable trav- 
esty known as the Oberammergau passion play is now 
preached about and talked about by those who attended 
the show. A certain Evangelist who was there writes to 
the Christian Standard, published in Cincinnati: 

"I am thrilled completely with the Passion Play. Eight hours of 
the most intense moments of my life. All the lectures on it never 
do it justice, and it is almost folly to attempt it. Even Stoddard 
s weak on it. We are the guests of Anton Lang and he is a won- 
der. I have met all the apostles and principal characters and my 
whole being pulsates with the story of the cross as never before." 

A woman gave an account of it in the Neza York 
Christian Advocate (Methodist). 

Anton Lang plays his most difficult role with dignity and rever- 
ence and tremendous reserve. He never offends the most sensitive, 
He does not simulate the agony of the Saviour, but he shows forth 
the lamb led to the slaughter, patient, silent, innocent, amid a wild 
storm of abuse. It is heart-breaking but not shocking. The 
scourging is being finished as the curtains are drawn back, so that 
only the last flourish of the cords is seen. The blindfolded, half- 
naked, fainting victim, enduring without a cry or a remonstrance, 
opens the fountain of tears. Most pitiful is the bowed form falling 
by the way beneath the heavy cross amid the infuriated mob; more 
pitiful still, Mary the mother waiting beside the way to know the 
cause of the commotion; most lovely the dear Master's recognition 
of her as He slowly moves on with Simon of Cyrene bearing the 
cross. When the curtains part for the crucifixion scene, the two 
thieves are already hanging from their crosses, but Jesus is stretched 
on His, still on the ground. We had heard the sound of the ham- 
mer. Slowly the cross is lifted with its precious weight." 

Again we say what a blasphemy it is to depict in such 



90 CURRENT EVENTS. 

a way the sujBFering of the holy Son of God! That no 
protest is heard against this Romish playhouse and some of 
those who should protest, known by the name (and in 
name only) of Protestants, laud the wicked travesty to the 
sky. No heart which loves and adores the Lord Jesus 
Christ can have any sympathy whatever with this passion 
play. We understand the show is to be given some time 
by the actors in this country and the management rests 
with an infidel concern. 

The Religious Conditions in the United States. The 
religious conditions on this continent, according to the 
recent census, is a veritable Babylon, a confusion of 
tongues. The census brings out the fact that this so- 
called "Christian nation" has now a steadily increasing 
number of adherents of heathen religions. There are 
now seventy-four temples of Buddhism in the United 
States. These recognize and worship three idols, the 
god Kuan, the goddess of Fortune and the goddess of 
Mercy. And here and there apostate "Christians" join 
in this idolatry. Then there are the Vedanta Societies 
of the Hindu religions. This movement is one of the 
cursed results of the wicked congress of religions held 
during the world's fair in Chicago in 1893. 

Then certain Hindu teachers had their eyes opened not 
to the Gospel, but to the fact that this "great. Christian 
nation" is a good missionary field for Hindu demonism. 
They started then the Vedanta Society. It means "the 
end of all wisdom." It is non-sectarian and tries to 
harmonize all religions. It succeeds in the larger cities 
by gathering in the Gospel-rejecting apostates. Another 
Oriental demonized system, which steadily increases, is 
Theosophy. Then there is Bahaism, which increases at a 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 91 

Still greater rate. This is a Persian delusion and its head 
claims to be a kind of Christ, another false Messiah. 

The division among Christian believers, according to the 
census, to be issued in a volume, is the saddest feature of 
all. Over two hundred sects and parties are enumerated, 

"Th: volume will tell of the various Christian sects which are 
considered more purely American, and will show the various branches 
thereof. It will show that while there are only fifty-seven main 
bodies there are 215 church organizations, many of them professing 
a faith only a shade different from others. For instance, there are 
seventeen Baptist bodies, twenty-four Lutheran, fifteen Methodist, 
and twelve Presbyterian. The same is true of less known organi- 
zations. There are fifteen Mennonite, seven Adventist, four 
Dunker or Dunkard, and four Quaker or Friend bodies. 

There appears no division in either the Roman Catholic or Protes- 
tant Episcopal churches, although it is shown that efforts to modify 
their creeds have resulted in the establishment of independent 
bodies. They are designated as the Reformed Catholic and the 
Reformed Episcopal churches respectively. The Reformed Catho- 
lics number only 1,250 communicants, while of the Reformed 
Episcopalian there are about 9,683. 

The cause of origin of some of the branches is indicated by the 
name. For instance, there are General Baptists, Separate Baptists, 
United Baptists, Free Baptists, Freewill Baptists, United American 
Freewill Baptists, Primitive Baptists, General Six-Principles Bap- 
tists, Seventh Day Baptists, Duck River Baptists, and Two-Seed-in- 
the-Spirit Predestination Baptists. 

The civil war caused splits, giving rise to Southern Methodist 
and Southern Baptist bodies. In these churches there is also color 
division. Two or three churches came into existence just after the 
close of the war as a protest against political preaching. Many of 
the branches of the Lutheran church are due to difference in 
nationality. 

Of other branches, besides the Duck River Baptists, owing their 
names to localities, are the River Brethren and the Yorkers, both 
branches of the Brethren denomination. The former began exist- 
ence on the Susquehanna River; the latter in York County, Penn. 



92 CURRENT EVENTS. 

The Brinsers, also Brethren, are called after their first Bishop, as 
also the Schweckenfelders. 

Three of the newest churches mentioned are composed largely of 
colored communicants. One of these, the Church of God and 
Saints of Christ, accepts the Ten Commandments as a positive 
guide to salvation, and uses only scriptural names for its members. 
The "Church of the Living God" began business in 1899, and already 
has three branches. The Free Christian Zion Church of Christ, 
founded in 1905, protests against all attempts to tax members for 
the support of churches. 

There are about seven hundred organizations in the main branch 
of the Salvation Army, with a membership of about 23,000. There 
were 455 organizations of Spiritualists with over 35,000 members. 

The report records the rapid disappearance of communistic so- 
cieties, showing that of eight organizations mentioned in the census 
of 1890 only two are left, the survivors being remnants of the Shakers 
and of the Amana Society. 

That this condition is beyond remedy must be apparent 
to every intelligent Christian. This confusion of tongues 
will grov^ worse. The different "Pentecostal movements'' 
claiming a restoration of the apostolic gifts are not men- 
tioned in the above. There are a number of these errorist 
movements, which prove clearly by dividing Christians 
into sects and parties, that it is the work of the fliesh 
and not of the Holy Spirit. But while all this cannot 
be changed and these conditions will keep on till the 
harvest comes, every child of God can walk individually 
according to the Word of God, worthy of the vocation 
wherewith we are called and keep the unity of the Spirit 
in the bond of peace. 

Christian Science in Y. M. C. A. The following is a 
clipping from the Evanston Index. 

A distinct addition to Evanston attractions is the new reading 
room of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in the Y. M. C. A. 
building. They have the store on the first floor that was occupied 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 93 

by the Public Service company which gives them window room 
that invites, with dainty, fresh flowers and well bound books, and 
within there is a delightful atmosphere of ease and rest. 

All of the tones are gray, except the rug of rose. The walls are of 
soft gray paper merging into a figured frieze with but little more 
color and divided by panels of white. The furniture is all of gray 
finished oak with a bit of brighter color here and there in the rattan 
chair upholstering which invites one to rest and when the invitation 
is accepted proves so satisfactory that one longs to stay there 
indefinitely. 

It is Strange that the directors and Secretaries of a 
Y. M. C. A. building can permit such a thing. Perhaps 
they are ignorant of what Christian Science stands for. 
In that case they are unfit to hold such positions. This 
Y. M. C. A. Christian Science room is made as attractive 
as possible, and we doubt not many young men will be 
cauight in this trap of Satan. , It is sad to see such a thing 
done, but it only shows, as we have pointed out before, 
that many Y. M. C. Associations are right in with the 
apostasy. It does not surprise us at all that some of the 
secretaries who have departed from the faith ask us to 
stop sending them "Our Hope." They want to keep the 
Gospel out of the institution as much as possible. Yet 
there are many Secretaries who have no sympathy what- 
ever with this spirit and who hold firmly to the Gospel. 

Apostasy in Methodism. The Apostacy is nowhere so 
marked as in Methodism. A few months ago Dr. George 
P. Mains, a Methodist preacher who holds one of the 
foremost official positions in the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, published through the Methodist Bookconcern 
(Eaton & Mains) a volume of which he is the author. 
In this book he advocates all the wicked claims of the 
destructive criticism of Astruc, Eichhorn and Wellhausen. 



94 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Our friend L. W. Munhall has written a pamphlet on Dr. 
Mains' production, and Mr. Munhall shows that Tom 
Paine and Voltaire taught and believed what Mr. Mains 
states in his book. The correspondencies between Tom 
Paine and Dr. Mains are so marked that it looks almost 
as if the Methodist preacher quoted from Paine. We 
make a few quotations from the pamphlet: 

Voltaire said "The Pentateuch could not be from Moses" (Ex. 
of Lord Bolingbroke. . . .). "Those best acquainted with 
antiquity think that these books (the Pentateuch) were written more 
than seven hundred years after Moses" (Dialogue 16). 

Dr. Mains says, "In the common thought Genesis has been 
received as the oldest Hebrew literature. It has been assumed 
that Moses was its author. . . . But in the sense in which 
these assumptions were held they are denied, and universally so, 
by modern critical thought. . . . Genesis, in its compilation 
and present form, is one of the most recent books of the Old Testa- 
ment. . . . The book was not, and could not have been, 
written by the hand of Moses" (p. 98). 

Paine said, "The book of Genesis, though it is placed first in the 
Bible and ascribed to Moses, has been manufactured by some 
unknown person after the Book of Chronicles was written, which was 
not until at least eight hundred and sixty years after the time of 
Moses" (p. 99). "The first book in the Bible is not so ancient as 
the book of Homer by more than three hundred years and h about 
the same age with Aesop's Fables" (p. 92). 

Paine also said, "The Book of Genesis, instead of being the oldest 
book in the world, as the Bishop called it, has been the last written 
book of the Bible, and that the cosmogony it contains has been 
manufactured" (Reply to the Bishop of Llandaff, pp. 256, 257). 

Dr. Mains says, "It is now indubitably proven that many of the 
stories which appear in the earlier records of the Old Testaaent 
were simply taken over and adapted from older mythical or legen- 
dary sources, and that they are not to be taken at face value as 
sober and measured history" (p. 98). 

Paine said, "Take away from Genesis the belief that Moses was 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 95 

its author, on which only the strange belief that it is the word of 
God has stood, and there remains nothing in Genesis but an anony- 
mous book of stories, fables and traditionary or invented absurd- 
ities or down-right lies" (p. 86). 

Voltaire also said, "Is it not plain that Geensis was taken from 
the ancient fables of their (the Jewish) neighbors" (Ex. of Lord 
Bolingbroke). 

Dr. Mains says, "It is clear, say our modern authorities, that 
he (Moses) could not have been the author of this book (Deuter- 
onomy). For reasons equally convincing, it is evident that the 
book must be the product of a period or periods far later than that 
of Moses" (p. 118). "The date of its origin is probably not far 
from the middle of the sixth century B. C." (p. 120). 

Paine said, "In Deuteronomy the style and manner of writing 
marks more evidently than the former books that Moses is not 
the writer" (p. 81). "Though it is impossible for us to know iden- 
tically who the writer of Deuteronomy was, it is not difficult to dis- 
cover him professionally, that he was some Jewish priest who lived, 
as I shall show in the course of this work, at least 850 years after 
Moses" (p. 83). 

Dr. Mains says, "The writers of Genesis had no authentic know- 
ledge of a flood" (p. 103). He quotes, approvingly, from Professor 
Driver as follows: "We are forced, consequently, to the conclusion 
that the flood, as described by the biblical writers is unhistorical" 
(p. 106). 

Paine said, "The story of Eve and the serpent, of Noah and the 
Ark, drop to the level with the Arabian tales, without being as 
entertaining" (p. 12). 

As face answers to face in water, so Dr. Mains answers to Tom 
Paine. Their business is the same. Their method and principles 
are the same. Their end and results are the same. Their purpose 
may not be the same; but that makes no difference, since they do 
the same. Paine was only earlier at work, but following the same 
rationalistic and infidel wake, like Dr. Mains. 

Mr. Mains of course denies the authenticity of Isaiah 
and of the Book of Daniel. The entire Methodist Church 
is honeycombed with this most subtle infidelity. A good 



96 , CURRENT EVENTS. 

deal of their Sunday-school literature is tainted with this 
subtle infidelity. Mr. Munhall closes his pamphlet with 
the following paragraph: 

Dr. Mains says, "Whatever may be concluded concerning the 
historic personality of Abraham, the story stands for a great truth" 
(p 96); and "Abraham was an ideal character*' (p. 115). That is to 
say, Dr. Mains accepts the "Abraham myth" theory of the radically 
destructive critics. If this theory is correct, the "traditional faith*' 
— the "faith once for all delivered unto the saints" — is no more. 
The covenant of grace, as fulfilled in the atoning work of our risen 
Lord and His priestly mediation, together with Paul's sublime 
arguments concerning the same, are thereby swept away. Will 
the Methodist Church stand for such teaching If she does, as 
sure as God's Word is true, will He remove her candlestick and 
Ichabod will be written upon her. 

The question Mr. Munhall asks, **Will the Methodist 
Church stand for such teachmg " was answered by the 
recent General Conference when it elected Dr. Mains 
by a large majority to fill the same position he has held 
before. Dr. Munhall sent a copy of the exposure of 
Mains' book to each delegate, and yet the majority voted 
for him. 

**Ichabod" (the Glory is departed) does not need to be 
written upon Methodism, it is written there already. 
But in Methodism there are nevertheless thousands of 
Bible-loving Christians. What are they going to do about 
it.'^ Are they going to uphold this kind of thing and thus 
become partakers of these evil deeds .^ May their con- 
sciences be aroused. 

The Progress of Roman Catholicism. Catholics have so 
increased In number here that the United States now ranks 
as one of the foremost Catholic countries. It has more of 
that faith by two to one than the British empire and it 



RELIGIOUS APOSTASY. 97 

approximates even Italy itself. The official Catholic 
directory, copyright by P. J. Kennedy & Sons, sets forth 
the following: 

Catholic population, United States, 23,329,000; Austria, 
23,796,000; Germany, 23,821,000; Spain, 19,503,000; 
British Empire, 12,968,000; Italy, 30,500,000. 

Since American occupation of the Philippines there has 
been steady improvement in Catholic Church conditions 
and growths in numbers, the Philippines figures being 
7,131,000. 

Last year Catholics in continental United States built 
373 new churches. They now have 14,312. There are 
17,945 priests. About one in four of the priests are mem- 
bers of Jesuits, Paulists, Benedictines or other orders. 
This proportion holds good in New York, the large 
majority here being directly under Cardinal Farley. 
Besides priests there are 6,169 young men studying in 
seminaries. There are 57,000 women in religious orders. 

There are more than 900 colleges and academies, by far 
the larger number for girls, and 5,256 parochial schools. 
No fewer than 514 parishes in New York State now have 
schools attached, and in them are 223,875 boys and girls. 
Children in Catholic institutions in the whole country 
number 1,600,000. And this great increase is not at all 
altogether through immigrations. Large numbers of 
"Protestants" turn to the Roman church. The work of 
the Jesuits and Paulist fathers in holding "Missions for 
Protestants" bears fruit. 



Modern Day Delusions. 

Growth of Christian Science. We call attention 
to the rapid growth of the Science cult on the 
Pacific Coast. It is equally marked in other parts 
of the country and throughout the civilized world. Re- 
cently the "mother church" held its annual meeting in 
Boston: 

The announcement of the formation of 102 new churches and the 
unexampled growth of membership during the last year were fea- 
tures of the annual business meeting of the Christian Science Mother 
Church. 

Several thousand persons attended the meeting, at the church on 
Falmouth Street, including members from several foreign countries. 
Frederick Dixon of London was announced as president of the 
church for the coming year. 

Reports indicated that the Christian Science movement has 
spread through the civilized world. The list of new churches 
formed includes several in Germany, Switzerland, Australia, New 
Zealand and Porto Rico. 

An interesting report was that covering New York City, where 
now reading rooms have been established, including one in the 
financial district. The report of the board of lectureship showed 
that over 850,000 persons attended lectures given under the aus- 
pices of the board last year, an increase of 100,000 over the preceding 
year. 

From Sweden came the report of the official recognition of the 
church by the government; from England word of the church's 
growth there; and from Germany and other countries the news 
of lectures in foreign languages. 

From Ohio thanks were returned for the financial aid rendered 
to the sufferers from the recent floods. 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 99 

Another World Bureau. We have repeatedly called 
in public attention to the rapid progress spirit- 
ualism is making under the disguised name of "Psychi- 
cal Research." In England and in America some of the 
best known men, like Sir Oliver Lodge and many univer- 
sity professors, have united with this movement and ex- 
pressed a strong belief that asking of the dead is a pos- 
sibility. They were led to this belief by experiments 
through mediums which produced manifestations unex- 
plainable by natural causes. We are convinced that 
this movement will grow and that their godless research 
will be rewarded by communications from unseen and 
intelligent beings, the host of demons, whose existence 
is so clearly taught in God's Word. Intercourse with 
them is a possibility. Matters are rapidly advancing in 
this direction. There is an activity and eagerness to in- 
trude into these things which is astonishing, no doubt 
the reflex action of the wicked spirits who are eager to 
possess men and women and drag them down to ruin and 
perdition. 

W. T. Stead of the Review of Reviews has lately come 
out for this evil thing and has made a remarkable sug- 
gestion. He has announced that he intends to open a 
bureau for communication with the other world. He 
expects to carry out this enterprise with the help of a 
friend, who died years ago and with whom he has had 
spirit intercourse. Mr. Stead speaks of all this in the 
Fortnightly Review, The friend, he says, is a Miss Ames 
who was formerly one of the editors of the Union Signal 
of Chicago, the organ of the W. C. T. U. He claims that 
this lady sent him a long appeal from the "other 
world." 



100 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Following is the text of the proposal which his dead 
friend is supposed to have sent to him: 

"I wanted to ask you if you can help me at all in a matter in which 
I am much interested. I have long wanted to establish a place 
where those who have passed over could communicate with the 
loved ones behind. At present the world is full of spirits long- 
ing to speak to those from whom they have been parted. It is 
a strange spectacle. On your side, souls full of anguish for be- 
reavement; on this side, souls full of sadness because they can 
not communicate with those whom they love. What can be done 
to bring these somber, sorrow-laden souls together.^ 

**What is wanted is a Bureau of Communication between the two 
sides. Could you not establish some such sort of office with one 
or more trustworthy mediums.? If only it were to enable the sor- 
rowing on the earth to know, if only for once, that their so-called 
dead live nearer than ever before, it would help to dry many a tear 
and soothe many a sorrow. I think you could count upon the eager 
co-operation of all on this side. 

**We on this side are full of joy at the hope of this coming to 
pass. Imagine how grieved we must be to see so many whom we 
love, sorrowing without hope, when those for whom they sorrow 
are trying in vain every means to make them conscious of their 
presence. And many also are racked with agony, imagining that 
their loved ones are lost in hell, whpn, in reality, they have been 
found in the all-embracing arms of the love of God. See what 
can be done. It is the most important thing there is to do. For 
it brings with it the trump of the Archangel, when those that were 
in their graves shall awake and walk forth once more among men." 

Mr. Stead gives much evidence which satisfies him that 
this communication is genuine and came from Miss Ames. 
To us it is equally evident that the communication is 
genuine, but that it emanates from a demon. That 
demons love to personify departed men and women and 
play the parts of deceivers has often been proven. The 
above words Mr. Stead claims to have received from the 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 101 

unseen world are words of deception. They show the 
cunning of a wicked spirit. Taking on a pious garb this 
demon talks very piously, but the demon reveals his 
identity in the closing sentences. He wants to prove that 
the loved ones, who some imagine are in hell, are "in the 
all embracing arms of the love of God." This demon 
like other demons, who have produced all kinds of theories, 
tries to deceive people about the great Scripture revela- 
tion, the eternal and conscious punishment of the wicked. 
This is invariably the tenor of these "spirit communi- 
cations" that the state of all the departed is one of blis^ 
and happiness. Christian Science, Millennial Dawnism 
and other "isms" which deny future and eternal punish- 
ment for those who reject Christ are the movements 
of the latter times, the theories of seducing spirits, the 
doctrines of demons (1 Tim. iv:l). A Millennial Dawnist 
told us some time ago when we asked him "Are you 
saved?" "No," was his answer and "that is why I 
am a believer in Mr. Russell's teaching for I can live 
as I please and have another chance." They say some- 
times that the everlasting punishment of the wicked is 
a horrible, God dishonoring doctrine. Then it must be 
an invention of the devil. How is it then that these 
demons are so anxious to impress upon those to whom 
they give communications, that there is nothing but bliss 
and joy in the other world .^ But we read in the Word 
of God that the demons cried out saying, What have 
we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Art thou 
come hither to torment us before the time (Matt, viii: 
29)? Mr. Stead then speaks of the problem itself: 

"The problem is a serious one. The proposal to construct a 
bridge across the abyss will stagger most people by its audacity. 



102 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Some will regard It as profane. But all those who have taken any 
intelligent interest in the progress of psychical research will admit 
that the time is at hand when such an enterprise ought to be taken 
in hand by serious investigators, and resolutely prosecuted to its 
final conclusion. 

"The only question is, what are the facts? Can we or can we 
not organize such a service of trustworthy persons whose eyes have 
been opened, to undertake the guidance of the pioneers who are 
endeavoring to build the bridge between the living and the dead? 

"I think that with patience and perseverance it can be done. 
Julia, who fifteen years ago first insisted upon the duty of opening 
such a bureau of intercommunication, has now undertaken to 
direct its operations from day to day. 

**It may amaze some people that I should thus gravely write of 
the possibility of opening an office in the heart of a great capital 
which can only succeed — if it succeed — by the constant, conscious 
direction of the invisible intelligence of a human being who died 
and was buried seventeen years ago. But if there be any truth in 
the fundamental doctrine of modern spiritualism, there is nothing 
incredible in this. Certainly I should not dream of undertaking a 
duty so onerous, entailing such certainty of ridicule and abuse, 
were I not firmly convinced that we can confidently depend upon 
the business-like co-operation of those on the other side?" 

Then follov^s a suggestion how this bureau is to be 
managed: 

**A directory of competent sensitives, a muster-roll of those 
whose eyes are opened, will be compiled after careful and con- 
tinued investigation, test, and experiment. When any one who 
has lost a beloved friend or relative wishes to ascertain whether 
ornot he can communicate with him, and applies to the bureau, he 
will be informed of the conditions under which alone such an 
attempt can be made. Should he assent, the sanction of the 
director must then be obtained. It will be refused to all who do 
not seek to hear from those whom they have loved and lost, etc." 

One is amazed indeed to read such things coming from 
the pen of an intelligent person of literary attainment. 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 103 

The end is not yet. Success will come; their efforts to 
communicate with evil spirits will be successful and 
through it the great master mind of the Devil will work 
out his own purposes. God permits all this because men 
have not received the love of the truth that they might 
be saved. The strong delusion that they should be- 
lieve a lie is fast approaching and this "psychical research," 
spiritualism, the plain wicked necromancy bids fair to 
play a leading part in it. 

More Psychical Research Discoveries. Ever since the 
modern wave of Spiritualism, or as it should be called 
Demonism, was started by the Fox sisters over fifty years 
ago, increasing evidences have been furnished that there is 
a connection possible between the world and the wicked 
spirits, the fallen angels and demons. A belief in this is 
biblical. Why should God have forbidden the inter- 
course with the dead, the asking of those who have familiar 
spirits, if all this were not reality? Why should God have 
announced the death penalty upon those who practice 
the consultation of evil spirits if such a consultation were 
impossible.^ But Spiritualism with its evil practices has 
appeared under a more polite name. It goes now by the 
name 'Tsychical Research." It attracts the cultured, 
the educated and permeates the so-called "better classes" 
of society, professors, teachers, physicians, literary men, 
lawyers and not a few preachers have gone upon the for- 
bidden, yet fascinating territory. It was shown in our 
last issue how Spiritualism in this garb has joined hands 
with science and what an evil work the demon powers are 
accomplishing. All this goes on secretly. No one knows 
what goes on in the dark and the poor victims of one of 
the devil's most subtle delusions do not know themselves 



104 CURRENT EVENTS. 

how Satan will lead them on and use them in his own 
dreadful work. 

Recently the following paragraph appeared in the 
Associated Press: 

Edmund Scribner Stevens, who uses the stationery of the United 
States Senate, proclaims himself as **The Revealer of Secret Things" 
in communications received by the Metropolitan Psychical Research 
Society. 

His connection with the national Legislature does not appear, 
and although Mr. Stevens has franked envelopes he does not avail 
himself of the privilege they convey, but pays postage. 

*'I have in my possession," he writes, "more than one hundred 
written communications signed by persons who have passed into 
the hereafter life. I have proved their signatures to be genuine 
in the Library of Congress and they are open to inspection to all 
who wish to know the truth. 

"These letters were directed to me in person by my own name 
by such persons as Franklin, Swedenborg, John Bunyan, St. John 
the Evangelist, Dante, Luther, and the Rev. Dr. P. M. Griffin, of 
Perth Amboy, N. L 

"Also telegraphic messages are received in my own room between 
the hours of one and seven A. M. I am awakened from sound 
sleep and get up and write them from such men as Emerson, William 
Penn, Franklin, Morse, the telegraphic inventor and Galileo, the 
astronomer. Galileo, in a communication of five pages written in 
ink, tells me what the planets are made of and what they are.'* 

Mr. Stevens asks that the society place $5,000 in a Washington 
bank to his credit, to be claimed by him as soon as he gives one 
conclusive test of his ability as a Revealer of Secret Things. 

We believe that these Psychical Researchers are going to 
discover new and startling things. This they claim is their 
object. But these startling discoveries will be nothing 
less than lying signs and wonders, with which Satan will 
completely blind the eyes of them that believe not. 

The International Club for Psychical Research. The 
Society for Psychical Research has a rival organization in 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 105 

the International Club for Psychical Research, which has 
been founded by Mrs. Annie Besant. The headquarters 
of the new society are in Picadilly Circus, London. 

Arrangements have been made for the development of 
promising mediums and there are appliances and apparatus 
"for the study of the physical effects of mediumship and 
other kindred subjects." Here also are special rooms for 
rapping manifestations with tables so constructed that 
even the youngest and most inexperienced spook could 
rap lightly upon them with every prospect of receiving 
immediate attention. 

The club membership represents almost all classes of 
advanced thought. Esoteric Buddhists, theosophists of 
both the Besant and the Tingley type, adherents of W. T. 
Stead and his schemes for the encouragement of bureaus 
of communication between the spirit world and London, 
A. D., 1911, people who believe that there are more things 
in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in their phil- 
osophy and are willing to devote time and money to 
searching them out, and young men and women brought 
up in the faddist atmosphere which permeates London 
to-day, are all represented in the organization. 

Mrs. Annie Besant i? the head of the society and she 
opened the building dedicated to its use on Monday with 
a speech urging the necessity of avoiding superstition and 
narrowness in all intercourse with the unseen world. The 
research work begins next week. 

Among the foundation members who have helped to set 
this organization on foot are: Robert Colgate of New 
York, Lyman J. Gage, Secretary of the Treasury in Mr. 
McKinley's Cabinet; Col. Count Gleichen, D. S. O., a 
cousin of the late King Edward; Sir Francis Young- 



106 CURRENT EVENTS. 

husband, British Resident in Kashmir, and Major-Gen. 
Sir Alfred Turner, K. C. B,—N. Y. Sun. 

The same story, "Turning their ears away from the 
Truth they are turned unto fables." 

The Monistic Church. A Startling Movement. About 
two years ago Prof. Ernest Haeckel, the well-known 
naturalist and advocate of biological evolution, started the 
Monistic League of Germany. Monism is a system of 
thought which seeks to deduce all the varied phenomena of 
both the physical and spiritual worlds from a single princi- 
ple. It is theory that there is but one substance, either 
mind or matter, or something which is neither. This 
philosophical movement, which of course denies all 
Revelation, has had a most rapid growth in Germany; 
many cities have organized branches of this infidel league. 
It has also spread to Switzerland, Holland and Austria. 
It has produced great uneasiness in Germany and the 
headquarters of this Monistic League or church move- 
ment, situated in Berlin, reports a constant growth in 
numbers, power and influence. Attempts are now being 
made to organize it in this country. An American 
sympathizer of this movement, who hopes for an early 
establishment of the Monistic League in this country and 
predicts for it great and widespread success, has made 
on it the following remarks: 

Ex-President Eliot's recent pronouncement on "The Religion of 
the Future," which he says will be a Monistic religion, is only one 
of the signs of the times, showing the irresistible tendency in modern 
thought and life toward a monistic conception of the constitution 
and character of the universe and a momistic philosophy and 
religion of life. All this is the inevitable and natural outcome 
of the rapid and revolutionary progress of modern science and 
philosophy. Dualism and pluralism are dying at the very roots. A 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 107 

monistic and therefore a democratic conception of the constitution 
and character of the universe is rapidly taking the place of the 
old, orthodox, dualistic, monarchical and aristocratic one. Modern 
science and philosophy are revealing the world to us as a real 
democracy and commonwealth of all being as one. It is a spiritual 
commonwealth, a divine democracy, a real republic of all being as 
one; self-existent, self-governing and self-guiding from within; in 
which all conscious and rational beings, like man, are equal, sov- 
ereign, divine and spiritual citizens. Science and philosophy reveal- 
ing man to us as the sovereign, spiritual citizen of a divine democ- 
racy and a spiritual republic, and not as the servile spiritual subject 
of an absolute spiritual monarchy, as orthodox dualistic religion 
does. 

The mission of monism is to make war not only on the belief in 
a dualistic God but also and more on the belief in a pluralistic, 
egoistic and individualistic man; to purge and purify religion of 
every superstition and hypocrisy; to elevate man's conception of 
himself to the plane of a true and natural divinity and dignity; to 
arouse an enthusiasm of humanity, which is also at the same time 
an enthusiasm of divinity; to give man a vision of the world as a 
vast, living, striving, conscious and spiritual organism, of which 
he is one of the highest, noblest and most significant organs. 

Monism is the only religion that can ever hope to destroy human 
selfishness. No dualistic or pluralistic religion can do this, for their 
appeal must always be to that petty, partial and fractional self, the 
belief in which is the root cause of all human selfishness, in so 
far as it is deliberate and intentional. It is the only religion that 
can ever hope to destroy the devil, for the real devil of this world 
is the devil of self. It is the only religion that can ever hope to 
realize the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, and to inaugurate the 
reign of the true and living God. 

Monism is the true religion of the future, and the movement 
which has taken firm root in the Fatherland of Martin Luther is 
the "New Reformation" and the "New Christianity." Monism is 
also the "Coming Catholicism," of which we have lately heard from 
Dr. Newman Smyth, for the only Catholicism that is possible for the 
future in this modern and scientific world is the Catholicism of 
science and reason and of the institutions that are founded upon 



108 CURRENT EVENTS. 

science and reason. It knows nothing of nations, races and bound- 
ary lines. The sciences are the same the world over and they are 
the same for all intelligent and unbiased minds. They are universal 
and catholic in character. So it will eventually be with a truly 
scientific, philosophic and rational religion. Monism will be the 
religion of the world's democracies, the social religion of the 
world's true commonwealth, the scientific religion of a scientific 
age, and the unselfish, loving, brotherly and Godlike religion of the 
true and only living God. 

Here is a bold and very significant language. This 
philosophical system denies everything. The Person of 
our blessed Lord is not even mentioned. It is heralded to 
be the "New Reformation," "the New Christianity," the 
"new religion." It is the religion which will destroy the 
devil and establish the kingdom of heaven on earth and 
inaugurate the reign of the free and living God. What 
awful blindness! 

This monistic movement is no doubt the thing. Unitari- 
anism will fall at once into line. Reformed Judaism and 
Christian Science as well as the masses of Protestant and 
Catholic Christians who are like so much driftwood, will 
side with it. It is the thing of the future. The master- 
mind of the devil is revealed in this scheme; he prepares 
the way for his final work. All seems to be waiting in the 
camp of apostasy for a leader. Such a one will soon ap- 
pear. But it seems to us, if we have open eyes, that we 
can read in this monistic church movement, the initial 
history of the complete apostasy. All is ready for a great 
"world-church" which will unite all who have not received 
the love of the Truth. Oh Lord, keep us closer to Thyself 
in these perilous times! 

Abdul Baha Branded a Deceiver. Abdul Baha, the 
leader of the new cult of Bahaism, idolized by thousands 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 109 

of cultured and intelligent (?) American women, has 
been branded as a deceiver by his own nephew. On this 
The Continent saith: 

"Abdul Baha, or as he is also called, Abbas Effendi, is 
lecturing in different parts of the United States, informing 
people that Bahaism is the final perfected religion destined 
to comprehend and unify all the world's other forms of 
religious faith. But Bahaism seems not to have any 
more magic charm of unity about it than the faiths it 
proposes to consolidate; it is unable even to unify itself. 
Sectarianism is no more a stranger under the Bahaist 
banner than under the symbols of either cross or crescent. 
There lives in Pasadena, California, a nephew of Abbas, 
son of his younger brother Mohammed, who avers that 
the Venerable prophet' now touring America is totally 
recreant to the teachings of the father Baha Ullah — ^The 
Manifestation of God" — who is ostensibly reverenced as 
the founder of the whole cult. The Pasadena member of 
the family claims that Baha (his grandfather) wrote 
down in the 'Book of My Covenant' — the Bahai Bible— 
that after himself no new 'manifestation' would arise 
for a thousand years. Yet Abbas, the son, poses as a 
'manifestation.' Baha is quoted: 'Whosoever claimeth 
a mission before the completion of a thousand years from 
this manifestation is a lying impostor' — and that, accord- 
ing to Nephew Shua of Pasadena, is exactly what Uncle 
Abdul Baha is. The teachings of Abbas are pronounced 
his own only, and quite contrary to true Bahaism as the 
rest of the family claim to have preserved it pure from the 
father's lips and writings." 

We caught a glimpse of this deceiver last fall in the 
Union Station of Denver. One look into the face of 



110 CURRENT EVENTS. 

the fat old man ought to be enough to convince anyone 
that he is all and more, his own nephew charges him 
with. 

A German Rebuke to Monism. We called attention 
to the great monistic movement which has had such a 
remarkable growth in the Fatherland. It is gratifying 
to repoit now that throughout Germany there has been 
an uprising from the side of German Evangelical Chris- 
tians against this satanic cult. In Berlin alone 20,000 
assembled to listen to leading men, who defended the 
faith, delivered unto the saints. As the building would 
hold scarcely half that number, there was a great over- 
flow meeting in the square, where Luther's hymn was sung 
and addresses were delivered. The cathedral nearby was 
thrown open and was immediately crowded to the doors, 
many being turned away. Here again powerful addresses 
were delivered and the great audience repeated the 
Apostles' Creed in concert. Thus it seems that the 
skeptical attack has resulted in such an arousing of 
evangelical feeling as the German capital has not seen in 
a (fentury. The Lokal Anzeiger^ the great Berlin news- 
paper, spoke of the demonstration as "a milestone in the 
history of the intellectual and religious life of the city. 

Mormonism's Pernicious Work. Throughout this 
country they are sneaking, generally in pairs, the messen- 
gers of the so-called "Latter Day Saints." What this 
system is and what it stands for is well known. Under- 
neath its claims of a new revelation, its satanic perversions 
of the truth of God are covered up the most abominable 
things, the leader of it polygamy. These false teachers 
and lying ministers claim that polygamy has been aban- 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. Ill 

doned, but their statements are false. Polygamy is so 
closely interwoven with this Satan cult that it cannot be 
given up. Thousands of converts are yearly gained over 
this land, but the chief recruiting places are the foreign 
countries. 

Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Germany 
have all furnished young women for the "Mormon Faith." 
But the discovery has been made of late that from Great 
Britain hundreds of girls disappear yearly, and are months 
later heard from, after they joined the Mormons. Start- 
ling things have been brought to light. 

The citizens of Liverpool, the port from which hundreds of girls 
are sent every year to swell the Mormon colonies of Utah and other 
polygamous colonies in America, have arisen in vehement protest 
against the alarming growth of Mormonism in England and es- 
pecially in Liverpool. After a series of special meetings, resolutions 
have been adopted by the townspeople appealing to the Home 
Secretary and demanding immediate restrictive legislation, 

This move to stay the trafficking in young girls has the sanction 
oi the bishop of Liverpool, who, it is understood, is the instigator 
of the open crusade against the Mormons. England has for some 
time been the chosen field of the activities of the missionaries and 
Mormonism here finds many converts who have left their homes 
lured away by the mysterious attractions of polygamy. Although 
the movement is directed from headquarters in a little building near 
Hyde Park, missionary work is done in province and small towns 
where "canvassers" go from house to house delivering tracts and 
teaching the doctrines of Joseph Smith. 

But Liverpool is the Mormon stronghold, for there they must 
unite their forces to secure the unmolested transportation of the 
newly made converts. To do this they have hit upon an ingenious 
scheme. Elder Charles W. Penrose, who fathers the movement in 
Liverpool, secured an accredited position in the immigration bureau 
of the White Star Line. By acting as agent for that company he 
has been able to secure transportation for hundreds of girls to 
America on the pretext of their becoming servants and filling other 



112 CURRENT EVENTS. 

minor positions. The passage money was paid by generous contribu- 
tions from friends of the movement here and the loyal supporters 
in the United States. 

It has just been discovered that the Mormons have rented a home 
in Liverpool, where the girls are kept until the sailings. The Mor- 
mons have also an elaborate printing plant at Bootle, near Liver- 
pool, where all their religious literature is printed and where a 
weekly paper is published. The work of the sect is carried on with 
such secrecy that it is almost impossible for the authorities to obtain 
tangible evidence against them. 

Young girls and many married women simply disappear from their 
homes and are not heard of for months, until a letter or perhaps a 
post card bearing an American stamp notifies friends and relatives 
that they have embraced the Mormon faith. All religious bodies 
have now combined to stamp out Mormonism, and it is known that 
the Home Secretary who has been investigating the conditions on 
his own account, is heartily in accord with the crusade. Several 
members of Parliament who are interested are now preparing a bill 
to present at the next session excluding Mormons from the United 
Kingdom. 

God grant that our English brethren may be successful 
in stopping this wicked system. 

A Mosque for London. The "London Globe" reports 
the following: 

It is proposed to erect a mosque in the capital of Great 
Britain, and the only surprising feature of the project is 
that it has not been executed before. The building is to 
cost £100,000, to which the Aga Kahn has already con- 
tributed £5,000. The committee in control of the scheme 
is presided over by Amir Ali and includes the Turkish 
and Persian Ministers, as well as three members of the 
Council of India. 

Buddhism's Progress in Europe. Buddhism has been 
making great strides in Europe of late. The member- 
ship of the Buddhist Society of Great Britain and Ire- 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 113 

land is now counted by hundreds and branches have been 
established in Liverpool and Edinburgh. Prof. Rhys 
Davit, the writer on Pali and Buddhist literature, is its 
president and among the vice-presidents is the Earl of 
Mexborough. A Scottish convert to Buddhism who is 
now a monk in Burma is shortly coming to England as first 
resident missionary. 

Great progress has also been made by the German Bud- 
dhist Society, which has two important press organs, in 
Leipzig and Breslau. Buddhist propagandists have been 
especially active in Hungary, where five editions of Sub- 
hadra Bhikku's Buddhistic Catechism have been exhausted. 

For the first time in Europe an attempt has been made 
there to get Buddhism officially recognized by the State, 
so that it could be taught in the schools. The plan was 
not successful owing to the opposition of the Roman 
Catholics. 

In Switzerland and Italy the number of adherents of 
the ancient Oriental faith is also growing steadily. At 
Lugano appears the Coenobium^ one of the most important 
Buddhist publications in Europe. New Buddhistic col- 
onies, it is announced, will shortly be formed near 
Lausanne and also in the Italian province of Umbria. 

What else does all this mean, but back to Heathendom! 
The great Buddhistic world is hopeful. And Islam is 
rapidly spreading throughout Africa. Indeed the spread 
of the Gospel stands no comparison with that of Moham- 
medanism. 

Back to the Ethical Systems of Heathendom. A few 
weeks ago when the Editor was in Boston a well known 
lecturer spoke in the Lowell Institute of that city on "the 
Philosophy, Metaphysics and Ethics of the Ancient 



114 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Greeks." The learned lecturer bewailed modern life and 
praised Greek culture. Among other things said was the 
statement, that when the time comes when men will be 
no longer led by revelation and will reject miracle and 
prophecy and determine to be led by mere light of reason, 
if such an age lays aside the Christian faith, there still 
remain the ethical principles of Zeno and Epicureus. In 
other words revelation as contained in God's Holy Word 
when given up may be substituted by the ethical systems 
of Zeno and Epicureus. The time, however, is already 
here. Much of the preaching in Boston and New England 
is nothing less than a reproduction of the principles of 
Zeno and Epicureus. The Word of God has predicted for 
almost 2,000 years that this very thing should happen. 
Sound doctrines given up, revelation and prophecy no 
longer believed, must result in turning to fables (2 Tim. 
iv:l-4). 

The "Soul" Hospital in London. Our friend, Mr. 
Philip Mauro, sent us recently an interesting communica- 
tion to our "Current Events" on the Soul Hospital in 
London. Mr. Mauro writes: 

Among the significant events of the day a prominent place must 
be assigned to a group of movements whereof the so-called "Em- 
manuel Movement" is the best known. The words 'Tsychic" and 
"Psycho" — are becoming very common in current literature and 
conversation. The expression also occurs in the Bible, but is 
disguised in our common versions because it is there generally 
rendered "natural." It is particularly pertinent in these days to 
notice the unqualified statement of 1 Cor. ii:14. "The psychical 
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God." But this 
psychical man is now being specially stimulated, encouraged, and 
trained to get into communication with the world of spirits, that 
is of demons who arc in the service of "the spirit that now works 
in the children of disobedience" (Eph. ii:2). 



n 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 115 

To this end two great objects are being presented in the most 
attractive way, first, communication with the departed, second, 
physical healing. And from two directions is this terrible danger 
advancing upon ignorant, credulous and superstitious humanity, 
from the churches, and from "Science." Who can be surprised 
if millions are deceived and swept headlong into the delusions 
fostered by "seducing spirits"? 

Of all the healing systems which have been brought forward 
as substitutes for simple faith in God, that known as "Psycho- 
therapy" (hideous name!) is perhaps the most dangerous, for the 
reason that it is accredited both by clergy and by doctors. The 
inadequacy of medical treatment on the one hand, and the deca- 
dence of the churches on the other, create a situation wherein the 
latter are ready to seize upon anything which promises to aid 
them in regaining their lost ground. The spread of this movement 
is indicated by the establishment of a "soul hospital" in London, 
where patients are treated by pyscho-therapeutic" methods. Among 
those who administer the treatment is a lady whose name is in 
the peerage. The diseases are diagnosed by a physician who goes 
into a sort of trance, during which, by the aid of "spirit guides" 
he is able to see what is the matter with the patient. 

Here is a new and most serious danger, to which people un- 
taught in the word of truth, are now exposed in these increasingly 
"perilous times." Who would have dreamed, a few years ago, 
of this ominous alliance of medical science, clerisy and spiritism? 
But there has been recently consummated a yet more ominous 
alliance of spiritism with physical science in the attempt to com- 
municate with the human spirits of the dead. Of this we will 
speak at another time "if God permit." 

The Dream of the World. The world dreams on of 
progress, advance, conquest and prosperity. Universal 
peace, they tell us, is in sight. The world is about to 
enter upon its greatest epoch. God and His Christ are 
forgotten. Many preachers advocate a great Peace 
parliament for 1913. A New York newspaper wants 
the great congress held in that city. 

This city alone is able to offer ample and elegant accommoda- 



116 CURRENT EVENTS. 

tions to the 2,500 distinguished men who make up the parliaments 
of the world. It is one of the great cities of the world. It is the 
metropolis and representative city of a Nation consecrated to 
peace. If the representative bodies of New York, its great organ- 
izations, its statesmen, its publicists, its newspapers, and its people 
would ask Congress to extend the invitation for 1913, Congress 
would not fail to do so. The invitation would, in all human proba- 
bility, be accepted in full and hearty spirit by the parliaments of 
the world. The cost of a single battleship would pay ten times 
over the entire cost of the vast occasion. America's greatest city 
would play the host to the greatest and noblest assembly ever 
gathered in the history of the human race. And the cause of 
universal peace would be advanced from a beautiful promise of the 
century to a glowing realization of the decade in which we live. 

Will it come to this? No doubt it will. But listen, child 
of God! What does the Word say? "For when they shall 
say, Peace and Safety, then sudden destruction cometh 
upon them, as travail upon woman with child, and they 
shall not escape." (1 Thessal. v:3.) That time cannot be 
far away. 

The **New Thought Movement." — For some years the 
New Thought movement has been rapidly coming to the 
front. Its advertisements are seen everywhere and "new 
thought" literature is circulated far and wide. Mr. Frank 
S. Weston, of Toronto, who has thoroughly locked into this 
movement, has sent us the following interesting com- 
munication on the "new thought" delusion: 

A religious movement has sprung up in the United States which 
bids fair to make such a sweep of thought as has never been wit- 
nessed on this continent. Of recent origin it has made its way 
across the sea. 

The leaders are educated men and women, including scientists, 
editors, physicians, lawyers and novelists. 

Their headquarters are in New York, having recently been 
changed from Boston. A sympathetic writer in the "Review of 



I 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 117 

Reviews" says: "This cult stands for practical every day working 
philosophy that takes the place of religion. The movement has for 
its basic purpose nothing less than a lively realization of the meta- 
physical truth at the base of all religion and philosophy, not as 
a mystical or intellectual abstraction merely, but as a working 
force In actual life, eligible to all men everywhere." 

This movement began about twenty years ago, but it is only 
within five years that its power has been felt. 

The periodical literature of this new thought has grown until 
now more than one hundred monthly and weekly publications 
exist in the United States alone. 

I. Its Foundation Principles. One of Its writers says: "The 
reality in being of an Infinite, eternal and intelligent energy, prin- 
ciple or substance perceptible, active everywhere, and always in the 
phenomena we call life, is its basic premise. This energy. Intelli- 
gence, substance, law or principle, while itself the absolute and 
unmanifest, is the great first cause of all manifestation of every 
order in the phenomenal world. . . . Many call this immanent 
power God. Others are content with Spencer's phrase ^Infinite 
and Eternal Energy,' still others are partial to the term *Being.' " 

We quote as follows from the new thought creed as formulated 
at the last convention: "God universal spirit, mind, principle — is 
omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. Man is the individual ex- 
pression of God, possessing inherently and capable of manifesting, 
all the aspects of God. Man unfolds to a continuously expanding 
consciousness and manifestation of these aspects through right 
thinking and right living." 

What do these words mean.^ The language is nebulous and 
mystifying. 

Terms contradictory and antagonistic are jumbled together. 

I turn to Henry Wood for light on the first great question con- 
cerning any system, "What Is God.''" 

In his book I read these words: "Nature has stored up in the 
universe an infinite amount of energy. The eternal recipient and 
transmitter of this energy Is the ether. . . . Now call this 
energy God's mind and the ether God's body, then you have the 
secret of eternal life and the process of cosmic evolution. God 
in the ether is no more strange than a soul in a body." God is 



118 CURRENT EVENTS. 

energy, a force by which things act. What does this language 
mean? 

This man is giving us under new terms oriental pantheism. 
Such is the "new thought" on God presented to the 20th Century 
intelligence. 

Mr. Tyner outlines new thought in the following words: "The 
absolute is the great first cause of all manifestations. If it is not 
as obvious in the little things of our personal life as in the cosmic 
process that this infinite intelligence is ever a power making for 
righteousness the fault is one's own consciousness, a lack of recog- 
nition of one's own oneness with the One Life." This system 
emphasizes the inter-dependence of mental and physical and the 
power of mind over body. 

"The present movement is in a large degree the result of an 
attempt to account for mental healing and to give a lucid and 
rational interpretation as well as a scientific basis." 

Philosophically it is the offspring of Kant's speculations modified 
by New England transcendentalism. In its development it has 
taken up into itself a number of contributory elements, viz.: popular 
science, evolutionism and Hinduism. 

It recognizes the teaching of Christ in part, Emerson is, however, 
its Bible. He is its great prophet. A subtile pantheism is its 
foundation. As one writer says it is "the recognition, realization 
and manifestation of the God in me." Although new thought 
teachers often use Christian terminology, one has but to read 
carefully to see new meanings are put into the old terms. 

II. What is the system in morals.^ — It is a scheme of self- 
preservation and salvation through the power of will. The leaders 
of this faith have a firm belief in the all-saving power of healthy 
mind attitudes. Mind is the all-conquering power. 

There is a recognition of man's bondage but freedom is man's 
accomplishment, not Christ's. "The first step after discovering that 
we are enslaved, is the conviction that we are of worth to the uni- 
verse, the ideal of gradual attainment of freedom through the 
strengthening of individuality." Salvation by human will, this 
is the gist of it. On the title page of one of their books are these 
words: "Within yourself lies the cause of whatever enters into 
your life. To come into the full realization of your awakened 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 119 

interior powers is to be able to condition your life in exact accord 
with what you would have it." The general system of the book 
may be discovered by a quotation. 

"The great central fact of the universe is that Spirit of Infinite 
Life and Power that is back of all, that animates all, that manifests 
itself in and through all; that self-existent principle of life from 
which all has come and from which all is continually coming." 

"This Spirit of Infinite Life and Power that is back of all I call 
God . . . God then is this Infinite Spirit which fills all the 
universe with Himself alone, so that all is from Him and in Him 
and there is nothing that is outside." 

"We are partakers of the life of God and though we differ from 
Him in that we are individualized spirits while He is the Infinite 
Spirit, including us as well as all else beside, yet in essence the 
life of God and the life of man are identically the same and so are 
one. They differ not in essence; they differ in degree." 

III. Its Relations to the Word of God. The leaders of this 
movement say; "It antagonizes no sect or denomination as such. 
It has no dogma to enforce — recognizing good everywhere it seeks 
the co-operation of people of any or no religious forms. Embracing 
the good in every religion and philosophy it excludes none." 

Yet the same writer says, "It takes the place of religion and 
is indeed to those people the only possible religion." This is the 
Devil's soft sly way to overthrow the truth of God. He means 
no harm and at the same time he is taking the foundation from 
under your house. 

It is easily seen by this able explanation of the new 
thought movement that it belongs to the great anti- 
Christian wave, which is sweeping over Christendom, 
constantly gaining in volume. Soon the person will appear 
who will unite them all, Higher Criticism, Spiritism, Chris- 
tian Science, Theosophy, New Thought, etc. That person 
will be the final Anti-christ. 

Krishnamurti the new Messiah. "The Order of the 
Star of the East" has spread all over Christendom. Even 
from small towns and villages we hear that tl^is theosophi- 



120 CURRENT EVENTS. 

cal society is circulating its pamphlets and finds some 
adherents. Our readers will remember that this Order of 
the Star of the East announces the soon coming of a great 
world-teacher; the order was founded by Miss Besant, 
the high-priestess of Theosophy, to prepare the way and a 
welcome for this great coming leader. Not only Theos- 
ophists are asked to unite, but others as well. The whole 
thing is of satanic cunning as we have shown in our columns 
two years ago and Mr. Mauro's exposure published four 
months ago laid bare the scheme once more. 

And now comes the news that the world teacher of that 
woman and her order of the Star of the East is about to be 
ntroduced to the world. He is coming to America. His 
name is Krishnamurti, a sixteen year old Hindu boy with a 
most beautiful face. He is regarded by Theosophists as 
the new Messiah, a spiritual being, through whom Christ 
is to speak when He returns to this earth. Men and 
women are kneeling already before him. He is at present 
living in luxurious seclusion at the country home of Lady 
De la Warr in Sussex, England. 

Though under the most aristocratic influences Krish- 
namurti is designed to be the Messiah of all, showing the 
way to perfect brotherhood. One may get the best idea 
of the remarkable hopes centred in Krishnamurti by 
quoting from the sworn statement in a suit now pending 
before a District Judge in Chingleput, Madras. A Hindu 
Government pensioner seeks to regain from Miss Annie 
Besant his two sons, Krishnamurti and Nitayanda. It 
was Miss Besant who discovered the lads and won the 
father's consent to take them to England. In a very 
singular legal document filed in court the father declares 
that last year the boys were making rapid spiritual prog- 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 121 

ress, and were approaching "initiation by the masters." 
He also submits that Miss Besant "has been stating that 
the first boy, who is named Alcyone, is or is going to be 
Lord Christ, with the result that the boy is deified and 
that a number of respectable persons prostrate before him 
and show other signs of worship. 

The following information is given by this woman, 
Annie Besant: 

"Indeed there are more than 25,000 cultured men and women in 
the United States who wear a little silver star with five points. 
This is the emblem of the order of the Star in the East, originated 
by Krishnamurti as if in acceptance of the belief that he is to fulfill 
a high destiny. The members of the order are not necessarily 
theosophists, in fact many are not. But they are all eager for the 
time to come when Krishnamurti shall begin to execute what they 
believe to be his mission as the Messiah of the new cycle of the 
world's history. There are two theories as to his future. One 
is that the Christ will incarnate and come in person to found the 
great new religion. Another is that the Christ will select a disciple 
through whom he will manifest at the great hour. 

"Krishnamurti may be the chosen one through his superior 
spirituality, or he may be the one to declare Christ to the world. 
At the least the Hindu boy will bear the relation of a John the 
Baptist to the expected revelation. It is from the mystic Himalayas 
that the masters of wisdom, who are in these days as the three 
wise kings," have proclaimed the coming forth again of the Christ 
to unify all people, and that the child is now on earth who is to be 
the instrument of this wondrous power as was the disciple Jesus 
for the great Christ in the past. That is the way we Theosophists 
explain it. 

"What manner of boy is Krishnamurti? Early in his birthplace 
in Northern India he began to attract notice as a prodigy. It is 
declared that his history has been traced back for thousands of years. 
What are described as his marvellous purity of nature and character 
were responsible for the Theosophists believing that very early were 
manifested traits of the spiritual soul. And when he was twelve — 



122 CURRENT EVENTS. 

significant age — the boy wrote a book in English after studying the 
language several months. It is called *At the Feet of the Master.' 
Within a year after its first publication it was translated into four- 
teen different languages and read eagerly by thousands and thousands 
of people. It is declared that *no one, be he Christian, Buddhist, 
Jew or Mohammedan, can take up this small book without realiz- 
ing that in extraordinarily simple and beautiful English is contained 
the essence of life, and vital truth, for attaining the facts of Initiation 
unto the Christ consciousness.' " 

Horrible blasphemy;! Yet this boy Krishnamurti is 
the special care of a group of intellectual (!) society women 
of England, among whom are Viscountess Churchill and 
Lady Emily Lutgens. During the absence of Miss Besant 
in India the guardian of the boy is Mrs. Jacob Bright, the 
widow of a noted English statesman. And these persons 
prostrate themselves before a Hindu boy! Thousands of 
women in this country are looking eagerly forward to the 
proposed visit of this boy! 

Two years ago when it was announced that Abdul Baha, 
the Persian Anti-Christ and deceiver was to come to this 
country, we predicted for him a great success. How he 
was received with open arms throughout this country is 
well known to our readers. Now if this Hindu boy comes 
to our shores to lecture he will even receive a greater wel- 
come. We expect that he too, like Abdul Baha, will 
address audiences in Baptist, Methodist, Congregational 
and Episcopal ^^church" buildings. 

Reginald Campbell, the friend and admirer of Abdul 
Baha, came first to this country. Campbell, in spite of his 
denials of the Son of God, received an enthusiastic welcome 
and hundreds of preachers complimented the man and his 
message. Then Abdul Baha and now another one! How 
true the Word of God is! "Because they received not the 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 123 

love of the truth, that they might be saved, and for this 
cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they 
should believe a lie, that they all might be damned, who 
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteous- 
ness" (2 Thess. ii:10-12). Abdul Baha and Krishnamurti 
are forerunners of the Man of Sin. He will be, when he 
comes, received with open arms by apostate Christendom. 
We are privileged to see strange things. God's Word is 
being increasingly vindicated by the signs of the times. 

Mrs. Besant Unmasked. The following is an extract 
from the ^^ London Times^ As Mrs. Annie Besant and her 
wicked cult, as well as "the Order of the Star of the East," 
have found a widespread acceptance, we print it as a 
whole, hoping that thereby some of the poor dupes of 
that woman may be delivered. Our readers will remem- 
ber that this boy Krishnamurthi was announced by Mrs. 
Besant as "the great coming world-leader." What 
rottenness must be underneath the whole thing may be 
learned from the following: 

In the Madras High Court Justice Bakewell delivered judgment 
in favor of Mr. G. Narayan Iyer In a suit which he brought against 
Mrs. Besant, president of the Theosophical Society, for the custody 
of his two sons, who are at present studying In this country. The 
suit was filed in October last, and has attracted much attention in 
India, where Mrs. Besant, the foundress of the Central Hindu 
College at Benares, has been working for some years to raise its 
status to that of a Hindu University for the whole country. 

The plaintiff, a Government pensioner residing in Triplicane, 
stated in his plaint that In 1909 he, being a member of the Theosoph- 
ical Society, Adyar, was invited by Mrs. Besant to do the work of 
assistant correspondence secretary of the esoteric section, which 
office he accepted without remuneration. He took his two sons, 
J. Krishnamurthi, aged seventeen, and J. Milyananda, aged four- 
teen, and lived at the theosophical quarters in South Adyar. Mr. 



124 CURRENT EVENTS. 

W. L. Leadbeater, of the Theosophlcal Society, undertook the edu- 
cation of the boys. Soon after, the plaintiff became dissatisfied 
with the moral and intellectual education they were receiving and 
with Mr. Leadbeater's influence upon them. In her written reply 
Mrs. Besant denied the allegations made against Mr. Leadbeater 
and submitted that the suit has been undertaken from political 
motives and personal malice, because she had sought to inspire 
the student population with loyalty to the Empire. 

In his evidence the plaintifi" alleged misconduct by Mr. Leadbeater 
towards his sons, and as the charges were too indecent to be given 
orally the witness wrote out a portion of his evidence and handed 
it to the Court. The witness complained to Mrs. Besant on several 
occasions without success, but in March, 1911, she took the boys to 
Benares and thence to London, but returned in the autumn. Be- 
tween October and December, 1911, Mrs. Besant told the witness 
that his boys were making rapid progress spiritually, and that for 
their advancement in that direction she proposed to keep them with 
Mr. Leadbeater in a cool place like Ootacamund. On his remon- 
strating against the boys being kept with Mr. Leadbeater, Mrs. 
Besant told him not to be silly. Mr. Leadbeater and the boys went 
to Benares, whither the witness followed them, and where he heard 
further allegations of Mr. Leadbeater's conduct toward his boys. 
On December 31, 1911, he demanded that the boys should be com- 
pletely separated from Mr. Leadbeater. Mrs. Besant refused, 
saying that they had been together in their past lives, that he was 
taking an interest in the boys, that he was Anarhat and should not 
be talked about lightly. 

Mr. Leadbeater described the allegations against him by the 
plaintiff as an atrocious falsehood. He said that he treated Krish- 
namurthi, who was being trained as a Sanyasi, with great respect 
and reverence. In cross-examination, the witness said that he had 
been conducting certain clairvoyant experiments with Airs. Besant; 
he had heard her call him **a man on the threshold of divinity." 
He had seen things in Mars and Mercury. It was true he had 
stood face to face with **the Supreme Director of Evolution." In 
order to escape the effect of thoughts, forms and certain astral 
aspects, in the case of two or three boys, the advice he was alleged 
by witnesses for the plaintiff to have given. When he gave the 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 125 

advice he treated the problem as physiological rather than moral. 
He still held the same views, but in deference to Mrs. Besant's 
wishes he had promised not to give this advice any longer. He 
still adhered to what he had said, that he did not care for the pru- 
deries of convention but only took into account the realities of life. 
He had been entrusted with the work of training theosophical 
aspirants by the super-human beings who were the real leaders 
of the theosophists. 

Mrs. Besant's Argximents. 
Mrs. Besant conducted her own case, and In giving evidence 
said she took Krishnamurthi to England to train him for the spiritual 
leadership of the world. He was to be devoted to the religious life, 
and the reason for separating him from others was that he might 
not be suddenly roused from his trance, which would endanger 
his life. She intended both the boys to go to Oxford, and they had 
been accepted from October, 1912. They were both to lead celi- 
bate lives. Subsequently addressing the Court she argued that 
the welfare of the boys was sure to be better looked after by her 
than by the plaintiff. She would admit the absolute control of a 
father over his boys only up to the fourteenth year. She urged 
that a letter written by the plaintiff in March, 1910, was a complete 
waiver of his rights over his boys. The elder boy would be of age 
in a few weeks and would then be free to return to his father if he 
chose. The younger boy was a brilliant youth with high ambi- 
tions, and it would be a piece of cruelty to stop him from prosecuting 
his studies in England. 

The Judgment. 

Mr. Justice Bakewell, in delivering judgment, held that the evi- 
dence against Mr. Leadbeater in respect to the boy Krishnamurthi 
was unsatisfactory. But, while concluding that the serious charges 
against Mr. Leadbeater had not been established, his Lordship 
held that from the evidence he had given, Mr. Leadbeater was 
certainly an immoral person and was highly unfit to be in charge 
of the boys. The plaintiff was right m saying that his sons should 
not be allowed to associate with him. His Lordship also came 
to the conclusion that the plaintiff had every right to take back his 
sons, notwithstanding the deed which he had executed transferring 



126 CURRENT EVENTS. 

their guardianship to Mrs. Besant. For the welfare of the boys 
they must be placed under their father's protection, and must be 
declared wards of the Court. He accordingly directed Mrs. Besant 
to hand over the boys to the plaintiff on or before May 26. 

American Shrine of Bahaism. Everything seems to be 
found on the Pacific Coast — Christian Scientists, Theoso- 
phists, Spiritualists, and a dozen other cults flourish there. 
The financial sects and parties of deluded people can 
hardly be counted. Los Angeles has now also a "sacred 
shrine" of Bahaism. The first convert to that Oriental 
delusion was a man by name of Thornton Chase. The 
wicked leader of Bahaism has designated his grave a 
sacred shrine. The Persian prime minister to the United 
States and other adherents to Bahaism are now preparing 
to rear a memorial and a chapel at the grave of this man 
Chase, with the intention that it be an international 
meeting place for centuries to come. Charles M. Remy, 
of Washington, son of Rear-Admiral Remy, has charge of 
the erection of the memorial. He is one of the prominent 
leaders of Bahaism and is devoting his wealth and energy 
to advance Bahaism. The converts to Bahaism include 
men and women of national and international reputation. 

Bahaism is one of the predicted Satan-cults of the end 
time. It is a way preparer for Anti-christ. Its American 
supporters are those who never knew Christ as their 
Saviour. It is a striking fulfillment of 2 Tim. iv:4: 
**And they shall turn away their ears from the Truth, and 
shall be turned unto fables." 

He Has Come. He has come — the counterfeit mes- 
senger of Peace, Abdul Baha, head of the Bahaistic cult. I 
Most of his followers believe him to be a reincarnation ' 
of our Lord Jesus Christ and worship him as such. His 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 127 

success in England has been tremendous. It will be 
greater in this country. This Oriental travels with a 
private physician to watch over his health. His first 
public appearance in America was made in an aristocratic 
Episcopal church in New York. 

Garbed in the white robe and tarboosh or Oriental 
priesthood, Abdul Baha, son of the founder of the Bahai 
cult, preached a message of religious unity and universal 
peace from the pulpit of the Protestant Episcopal Church 
of the Ascension, at Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street, 
yesterday morning. Following his sermon he stood at the 
altar and facing the East after the manner of sun wor- 
shippers ofi"ered a prayer in Persian. 

Is it possible! A sun worshipper, for such he is, in a 
"Christian Church" offering a prayer in Persian! What will 
hundreds of true Christians say to this who are members 
of this denomination.^ No doubt this poor, blinded, lost 
soul will be welcomed by other Evangelical "churches" to 
offer a prayer in Persian and to give his message of a false 
peace, a false, satanic unity. There is no question the 
apostasy is on and develops rapidly. The eyes of the 
millions of church members, without Christ and without 
the Gospel are being fast blinded by the god of this age, 
through his chosen instruments, R. J. Campbell, Abdul 
Baha and others. Peace and safety, all is well! This is 
their message. It precedes the sudden judgmxcnt of God. 
How long will God permit the obnoxious thing to go on? 
How long will He hold back His wrath? Surely it must 
soon come. 

All who love the Lord Jesus Christ and stand for the 
faith have but one way before them in these dark days. 
They must separate themselves from the apostate thing 



128 CURRENT EVENTS. 

and refuse fellowship to that which dishonors Christ and 
His work. This is the only way. 

The Spread of Mormonism. In 1890 there were 144,352 
Mormons in the United States, now there are said to be 
400,000 in the United States, and 20,000 in other lands. 
In 1910 over 16,000 new members were gained by birth, 
more than half of the total, and by proselyting. Two 
thousand Mormon missionaries are at work (about 800 
in the United States), who visit about 2,000,000 homes 
annually and distribute their literature, and hold some 
50,000 meetings. Mormonism is paganism veneered with 
Christian terminology. It teaches that there are many 
gods, who were formerly men and women, have flesh and 
bones, are sinners, and often live in polygamy; that there 
is no Trinity, but that Christ is a polygamist and the Holy 
Spirit is a fluid; that Adam is the god of this world and 
each world has its own god; that sin is a necessity for all; 
that there is a ^'priesthood," which constitutes "the only 
right government" and receives continuous revelation 
which supersedes all, if desired; that there are four 
Bibles; and so on. 

No reader of these tenets of Mormonism can fail to see 
the necessity of preaching the Gospel to its adherents, even 
if he is not conscious of the evil and moral degradation 
which follow in the train of Mormonism. 

Another Warning on Bahaism. The wicked Abdul 
Baha with his smooth message of unity and peace is 
making through his increasing followers a rapid progress 
with the spread of his delusive system. We have sounded 
the warning for several years. We saw recently a very 
strong exposure of Bahaism by a Persian missionary of 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 129 

excellent standing. Mr. Peter F. Easton, of Tabriz, 
has the following to say on this delusion: 

"I am firmly convinced that strong utterances should be made 
to awaken American Christians to the truth of Abdul Baha's propa- 
ganda. Bahaism is not Christian, it is not Mohammedan, on the 
contrary it is essentially anti-Christian and anti-Mohammedan 
and the manner in which men like Dr. Campbell and Archdeacon 
Wilberforce in England have taken up Abdul Baha simply proves 
them to be as credulous as the lawyer in a pending case who sent 
five-pound notes to spirits. I greatly fear that this cult of Baha- 
ism may find fruitful ground in the United States and I am anxious 
to raise my voice and urge Christians to crush it in its infancy. 

"Last September I called on Abdul Baha, the head of the Baha- 
istic sect in London, to tell me what v/as the creed, a new gospel 
or what. I found him a man of great affability and courtesy. He 
was glad to meet with an Occidental who could talk with him in 
Tatar Turkish, the language of Azerbeijan, Persia, in which and 
in the adjoining Caucasus I have been laboring as a missionary 
since 1873. 

"After some introductory conversation I asked him what this 
message was, had he anything to add to the New Testament teach- 
ing of repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus 
Christ.? 

"Instead of answering my question he turned the conversation 
into another channel. Several times I endeavored to bring it back 
to the original topic, but beyond certain general statements as to 
his belief in all the prophets I could get no definite reply. So far, 
therefore, as an answer to my question was concerned my visit was 
a failure. 

"It is a pantheistic, not a Christian, not even a Mohammedan 
movement; one of the long series of such movements beginning 
with the very beginning of Persian history and continuing to the 
present day, a movement likewise akin to the pantheistic sects of 
other lands such as Mormons, Spiritists, Theosophists, Christian 
Scientists, etc. What then is the essential characteristic of Pan- 
theism.? It is the doctrine that there is no personal God who 
creates, governs and controls all things, but only a divine essence 
out of which all things are evolved, the various orders of the word 



130 CURRENT EVENTS. 

marking the stages of evolution — first mineral, then plant, animal 
and finally man. 

"Who then in this Behai movement is this head? Is it Abbas 
Effendi Abdul Baha, the present leader? No, for Abdul Baha 
means the servant of Baha, the father of the present leader, who 
died at Acre, Syria, in 1892. The movement is also called, from 
him, the Bahal movement. 

"What sort of man was this Baha? His first prominent role was 
that of an Absolom. After the death of the Bab, the founder of 
the movement, in 1850 Baha's half-brother, Suth-i-Ezel, became 
the head of the sect, holding undisputed and absolute sway over 
the Babis Church. Baha, joining him after his flight to Bagdad in 
1852 was entrusted by Suth-i-Ezel with the practical direction of 
affairs, a position which Baha used to steal the hearts of his brother's 
followers. 

"When banished to Acre along with some of the followers of 
Suth-i-Ezel, who were sent there by the Turkish Government to 
watch his movements, every one of these men was assassinated by 
the followers of Baha. The same is true of almost all the promi- 
nent leaders of EzeFs movement, who one by one disappeared by 
foul play on the part of too zealous Behais. 

"His next role, that in which he was above all pre-eminent, was 
that of a blasphemer. These are some of the titles that were applied 
to him— *Our God El Abha,' *The Everlasting Father,' The Lord 
of the Vineyard.' One of hi followers was allowed to address him 
with the saying that it was a shame to compare God to him. In 
short he was a moral and spiritual monster who exalted himself 
against all that is called God or that is worshipped. To become a 
Bahal means to put this antichrist in the place of God and Father 
of Our Lord. That is what the people of Great Britain and the 
United States are invited to do. 

"I hope I have said enough to rouse the Christians of America to 
a sense of danger in encouraging or tolerating Abdul Baha's propa- 
ganda. It strikes at the basis of Christianity." 

Expansion and Increase of ^'Christian Science.'* A 
few years ago when Mrs. Eddy died the prediction was 
made by many that the Christian Science cult would soon 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 131 

die out. The opposite has come to pass. It is expanding 
and increasing constantly It must be so, for this Science, 
falsely so called (1 Tim. vi:20) has in it all the elements of 
anti-Christianity and is a masterpiece of Satan. We were 
astonished at the strength this cult has attained on the 
Pacific Coast. It is increasing more rapidly in the Pacific 
States than perhaps anywhere else. During our visit to 
the Coast we gave a testimony against it and showed the 
true character of this movement. Each time we did 
"Christian Science" leaders attacked us in the public 
press, charging us with misrepresentations and claiming 
that "Christian Science"does not deny the Deity of Christ, 
etc. Some of these newspaper attacks were very bitter. 
One of these was answered by a brother in North 
Yakima. We quote part of his reply: 

What Mr. Gaebelein did in his lecture on "Modern Day Delusions** 
was to lay down the foundations of Christian faith. These in brief 
were four: 1st, "That the Bible is God's Word and all of God's 
Word to us; that it is true and inerrant." 2nd, That Jesus Christ 
was the eternal Son of God in the bosom of the Father before the 
world was; that by Him and for Him all things were made; that 
He was God manifest in the flesh, the only begotten Son of God. 
3rd, That He died upon the Cross to save lost sinners; that He made 
peace with God for us through the blood of His cross; that He bore 
our sins in his own body on the Cross; that through faith in His 
blood, we are freely justified and saved. 4th, That man must be 
born again, by true faith in Christ crucified for him, in order to be 
saved, and that if he is not born again but dies in his sins, 
where Christ is he cannot go, but that he is lost for all eternity 
and the wrath of God abides upon him. H we line up Christian 
faith it shows that the saints of God from the earliest days have 
believed these things. The apostles believed and taught them, 
while infidels and unbelievers denied them, and the Christian 
Science, theosophy, spiritualism, higher criticism, new thought, 
etc., were each in their turn measured by this standard. Their 



132 CURRENT EVENTS. 

own statements were taken regardin the divinity of Christ, His 
death, His bodily resurrection. Jesus said, **This cup i- the New 
Testament in my blood which is shed for the remission of sins," 
and his disciple John says that "the blood of Jesus Christ, God's 
Son, cleanseth us from all sin." Now every one of the above men- 
tioned cults boldly declare that they do not believe these things. 
Mrs. Eddy says, "That the sacrifice of one man no matter how great 
can never answer for another man's sins." No misrepresen- 
tation of any one of these beliefs was made; in fact, they were truly 
represented by their own utterances and shown to believe contrary 
to the Bible. If your faith cannot stand before the written word, 
what will it do when it comes into the presence of the living Word at 
judgment? 

"Christian Science" will continue to draw to itself the 
large mass of ignorant "church members" who were never 
born again. As the end approaches it will become more 
powerful and more influential. It is one of the leading 
delusions of the last days, a delusion which God permits 
that those who hardened their hearts against the Gospel 
may believe the He. 

Giving Heed to Seducing Spirits. The daily press has 
of late announced the arrival of an Italian medium, a 
woman with the high sounding name of Eusapia Paladino. 
She is described by the psychical researchers, the polite 
name for spiritualists, as a perfect wonder. She "con- 
verted" the late Cesare Lombroso to spiritualism and 
shook the doubting Cammille Flammarion and has been, 
so it is said, the puzzle of the psychologists, physiologists 
and other scientific men of the world. Her converts are 
some of the leading scientists. This peasant woman has 
been brought to America to give a number of seances. Her 
price for a single sitting Is $250. Among those who are 
backing her up and shall investigate her powers are pro- 
fessors of Columbia and Harvard Universities, a president 



1 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 133 

of another university, physicians and private individuals. 
No doubt this imported medium will have lots of work 
to do and make thousands. She refuses to give exhibitions 
before large crowds, only a few are permitted to be present. 
In Italy she has been detected in trickeries, such as 
practiced by other mediums. Among the "wonderful" 
things stated is a scar, which she has on the forehead aind 
from which, during a seance, there blows a cold breeze, 
which is strong enough to move a sheet of paper when held 
in front of it. 

That a lying spirit possesses this poor woman seems 
evident. The poor professors, who have no use for the 
miracks of the Bible, who reject the miracles of our Lord 
as unscientific, these men become the dupes of possessed 
women and can believe that a cold breeze blows from an 
old scar! How the predictions of the Bible concerning the 
last days are increasingly fulfilled. The Bible, God's 
Holy Word, rejected, men and women turn to fables and 
give heed to seducing spirits. Those seducing spirits 
become more numerous and more powerful and all who 
depart from the Truth will become the prey of them sooner 
or later. Like King Saul apostate Christendom has 
rejected the Word of God and turns to those who have 
familiar spirits (1 Chronicles x:13-I4). 

Still Another Cult. Still another cult, or rather the 
same old dem^onism, known as Spiritualism, is being 
dished up by another deceiving name. The new cult was 
launched recently in Chicago by the "very Rev." Sam. 
Fallows, bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church in 
Chicago and head of the Emmanuel (falsely so-called) 
movement in Chicago. He calls his new cult "Immor- 
talism, the science religion." According to this bishop 



134 CURRENT EVENTS. 

the cult is "the science of communication with the spirits 
of the departed." The man denies that it is spiritualism. 
The devil always likes to hide his deception and produce 
his old lies in new garbs. He has done so in Christian 
Science and its twin the Emmanuel delusion, and he does 
so continually with spiritualism. He works the latter 
more than anything else. He has a reason for it The 
"departed friends" who give messages from the unseen 
are disguised demons. Through these demons Satan 
gets possession of the bodies and souls of men and women 
who expose themselves to these influences. No wonder he 
works this scheme. He will work it still more in the 
future, and will gladly assist professors, clergymen and 
bishops in making communication with evil spirits a 
reality. This Bishop Fallows said "Geography and 
arithmetic are parts of a business education. Com- 
munications with spirits will be much broader in its 
influence and so much more valuable that it must also 
be a part of the curriculum of colleges and schools. Im- 
mortalism is destined to become generally accepted by the 
intellectual world of the future." 

"Telepathy is already an established fact, and it is but a 
part of immortalism. There are those who are already in 
touch with the spirit world. They do not advertise the 
fact, for they might be called insane and unbalanced. But 
observe the unerring judgment of certain men of great 
success; they seem to have the experience of a thousand 
lifetimes behind them and a vision into the future. Why 
should not others also have those powers through the aid 
of those who have lived out those thousand lives, and who 
may, for all we know, see into the future? Who but the 
spirits of the dead know those things.'' Some day we shall 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 135 

talk to our dead friends and they will help us. It is not 
more impossible than the wireless telegraph, the tele- 
phone and other inventions that would have been termed 
witchcraft a hundred years ago." 

No doubt the new spiritualistic movement started by a 
bishop of the Reformed Episcopal church will be success- 
ful. Surely the enemy is coming in like a flood. 

The Revival of an Old Delusion. About one hundred 
years ago there lived in England a poor religious fanatic by 
the name of Joanna Southcott. Originally she was a 
domestic servant. She became a Methodist, and, pre- 
tending divine revelations, dictated prophecies in hum- 
drum poetry. Then she proclaimed herself the woman 
of Revel, xii who was to be delivered of a man child. In 
her sixty-fourth year she affirmed to be delivered of that 
man child, a second Christ, whom she called Shiloh. She 
named the date, October 14, 1814, but died ten days later 
of dropsy. She was one of the saddest delusionists and 
her claims were sheer blasphemies. 

Somebody sent us from England two volumes entitled 
"The Express." We read different parts of these two 
large volumes. They contained the sayings, poems and 
prophecies of this Joanna Southcott. It is claimed that 
she foretold that one hundred years later these books 
were to be published by a woman. The title page has this 
inscription: "My Express Must Fly — ^The Spirit of 
Truth! As foretold one hundred years ago, to be pub- 
lished by the hand of a woman in the tenth year of the 
century and containing the Life and Divine Writings of 
the late "Joanna Southcott." A woman then has ful- 
filled this prophecy and is used to revive the blasphemous 
claims of that deluded person. 



136 CURRENT EVENTS. 

More than once we shuddered as we read the words of 
this woman Southcott and closed the book with an un- 
speakable horror. She claimed that she had conceived 
like Mary by the Power of God and that the birth of her 
child would mean more for the world than the birth of 
Christ. She claimed that the Lord told her, "I suffered 
for the transgression of Man; in child-bearing thou wilt 
suffer for the transgression of Woman." Awful! Our pen 
refuses to copy more. And these abominable delusions, 
these hallucinations out of the pit are printed and pub- 
lished in England by a Teputable press. We hope this 
hundred-year-old delusion will be completely ignored. 
We do not see how a sane person could for a moment 
believe this delusion. 

Church of Humanity. Still Worse. A friend sent 
us a copy of a sheet, which, he informs us, was placed 
recently in hundreds of homes in the City of Buffalo. 
The name of the paper is "The Truth about God and 
Life," published in a little Kansas town. The first 
paragraph gives an outline for what this sheet of abomina- 
tion stands. 

"A cheerful greeting and best wishes for a long, happy, 
healthy, and wealthy life to all. This little educator is 
distributed by the Church of Humanity to introduce to all 
people Kerr's great discovery in nature that the universe 
contains no real god in nature, that man contains no soul 
and that life is ended forever in each person at death. 
That all gods, saviors, souls, saints, devils, spirits, angels, 
heaven, hell, purgatory, etc., are purely mythical, having 
no real existence whatever in nature. This church has 
over three hundred members in the United States and is 
duly organized and incorporated to teach these dis- 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 137 

coveries," etc. The writer of these words of wickedness 
is evidently a very ignorant man. Every inch of the sheet 
is a blasphemy against God and His Revelation. It is, 
however, so outspoken in its infidelity that the large 
majority of people will throw it aside. Yet it shows that 
the predicted days of evil are upon us and that the "man 
of sin" *Vho opposeth and exalteth himself above all 
that is called God" — cannot be far away. 

A Few Words on Russellism. How does "Pastor 
Russell" win the crowd and get the money? He is 
literally drawing the crowd and he is also getting the 
money in vast sums, for his advertising schemes are 
world-wide, and entail expenditures that stagger the 
minds of those who know the cost of such efforts. 

Now for the how and why. The world is full of super- 
ficial people, who want a sleasy (lacking firmness of 
texture or substance; thin, flimsy) religion. That Mil- 
lennial Dawnism is about the flimsiest that has ever been 
unloaded on a gullible humanity is hardly a question 
for debate. It is a clever reproduction of all the heresies 
of past ages, put on the modern market under a brand 
new label, that fairly shines. 

It seems as though in his earlier years, in his haber- 
dasher's shop in Allegheny, when business was dull, or 
after business hours, Russell had gathered together all 
the scraps and remnants of ancient errors, such as Gnosti- 
cism (know-it-all-ism), Manicheism, Arianism, Sabel- 
lianism, Apollinarianism, Nestorianism, Eutychianism, 
Pelagianism, etc., etc., and had cast them, one and all, 
into the fusing pot of his own great and fervid imagination, 
and that '^Millennial Dawnism" came forth to enlighted 
(?) benighted humanity; though to give all the side- 



138 CURRENT EVENTS. 

lights in the case as to the authorship of this clever system 
of untruth, it should be stated that RusselFs divorced 
wife claims to have written most of it. 

At any rate, here it is, and surely it is succeeding beyond 
Russell's highest dreams. 

Give the average man a guarantee that there is no hell, 
and you will tickle him in the right place. Tell him that 
the heathen are not lost, and it meets his heartiest ap- 
proval. Show him that the worst the very wicked 
(Russell's few incorrigibles, for it seems that even he 
is not equal to saving all sinners) need expect is non- 
existence after death, and he is ''with you." He will wax 
eloquent in expatiating upon and in defending such an 
easy-going, "common-sense," satisfying religion, and 
will subscribe handsomely and voluntarily for its pro- 
mulgation. 

We have observed Russellism for a long time and have 
never yet known an unregenerate person who looked 
into it, but who liked it. It is a religion made strictly 
for the fleshy man, and is a perfect fit. 

But how is it that all these great Millennial Dawn 
revelations have been so long in reaching us.^ 

Is it not a pity that, after the Lord had kept them secret 
for so long a time, that 'Tastor Russell" should now 
expose them.^ 

Just one sample of "Pastor Russell's" brilliant (!) 
exegesis. It is based on 1 Timothy ii:6, (Christ Jesus) 
"who gave Himself a ransom for all to be testified in due 
time." He uses this as one of the foundation stones of 
his system, dwelling on the "ransom for all" as the ground 
for belief in a universal salvation, making the testifying 
to be his (Russell's) own in this the "due time." This, 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 139 

to be sure, is an absurd rendering, and should forever shut 
him off from serious consideration, for even the slightest 
study will reveal the meaning of the passage to be as 
follows: "(Christ Jesus) who gave Himself as the 
redemption price for all — a fact testified to at its own 
appointed time" (that is, when Christ hung on the cross) 
(Weymouth's translation). 

But the main point at which we are now aiming in order 
to show Russell's inconsistency is this, that while here 
claiming that Christ died for all, yet he is not long in 
stumbling over the "incorrigibles;" so hopeless are these 
that even Russell must consign them to judgment, 
which in his hands amounts to annihilation. But see 
into what a trap of his own making Russell has fallen, 
for his all is not all, after all. 

His own "incorrigibles" mar the allness of his argument. 
Now, if Russell's all is not all, surely orthodoxy may 
be allowed the same privilege of making exceptions, and 
this it does by affirming, on the basis of many Scripture 
passages, that while Christ gave Himself a ransom for 
all, only those who accept Him become the beneficiaries 
of His saving grace. 

Finally, let us ask, suppose Russell is wrong .^ Suppose 
that, notwithstanding his assurances, there is a hell of 
torment for the ungodly.^ Suppose it is true "that 
he that believeth not is condemned already," and that 
"the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment?" 
Suppose there is a "lake of fire?" The Scriptures affirm 
all these things. Suppose the Bible as it has been under- 
stood by godly, gifted men for centuries, is right and 
Russell is wrong? Only suppose this, and the possibili- 
ties of the harm resulting from Russell's influence in 



140 CURRENT EVENTS. 

blindly leading the blind is too horrible for contemplation. 
— Episcopal Recorder. 

Christian Science Heaven. It is painful to find when 
one speaks against the Christian Science cult, that here 
and there persons who have leanings towards this master- 
piece of Satan deny that it is in any way against the 
Gospel. These **church members" who make such 
assertions are ignorant of the Gospel and equally ignorant 
of what "Christian Science" is. Recently some of these 
unsaved church members, who dabble in Christian Science, 
told us that they knew Christian Science teachers held the 
same truth about Christ and Heaven as evangelical 
Christians hold. 

It happened that a few days after we saw the July 
number of the Christian Science Journal. The leading 
article in this issue is from the pen of the prominent 
teacher of that system. This is what he has to say about 
heaven: 

Christian Science puts aside the mythologic concept of heaven 
as a place, and shows it to be a state or condition of mind. It 
follows, therefore, that its attainment depends upon the mental 
processes of the individual. In other words, it affirms that right 
thinking which leads to right living is the sure passport to heaven. 

What foolish nonsense this is! If the Word of God 
teaches anything, it teaches that heaven is a place, "the 
Father's house with many mansions." Heaven is a place 
where the throne of God is, and upon the Father's throne 
there sits now the Man Christ Jesus. All this is denied 
by this wicked system. Not right thinking and right 
living is the passport to heaven, but the blood of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. That precious blood is not alone 
rejected by Christian Science, but ridiculed and bias- 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 141 

phemed. Hebrews x:29 applies to them, "Of how much 
greater punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought 
worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, 
and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith 
he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite 
to the Spirit of Grace?" Men and women who accept 
Christian Science are simply lost souls. 

Serpent Worshippers. The worship of the serpent is 
the worst form of idolatry. According to the revelation 
of the first chapter in Romans the history of idolatry is as 
follows: "Professing themselves wise they became fools." 
That is, the Gentile world had originally a knowledge of 
God. This was given up and in their own wisdom they 
tried to find out things by searching; thus they became 
fools. "And changed the glory of the incorruptible God 
into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, 
and four-footed beasts, and creeping things" (Rom. 
1:22-23). 

The Moki Indians in Arizona hold yearly the "Snake 
Dance." They worship the snake and their abominable, 
vile ceremonies are held to induce the big snake to send 
rain. When they liberate many snakes, it is that they 
should tell the big snake to send rain. The Snake repre- 
sents Satan and the smaller snakes, the demons. Mis- 
sionaries assure us that these religious heathen ceremonies 
are followed by the vilest orgies, corresponding to the 
divine record in the first chapter of Romans. 

The Editor spent in August a week in Arizona only a 
short distance from where these wild dances were executed. 
It is sad to think that "Christian" men and women can go 
and witness these snake dances. Scores of white people 
attend every year, and these poor lost heathen, in the 



142 ? CURRENT EVENTS. 

midst of our land, have been so encouraged in their wicked 
ways, that they hold these orgies every year, instead of 
every four years. Few of these white men and women, 
not even Colonel Roosevelt, who attended this year, seem 
to realize that by witnessing these degrading dances, they 
help keeping these lost souls in the devil's grip. The 
Missionaries at work in these reservations are deeply 
grieved over the thoughtless curiosity of so many profess- 
ing Christians, who become partakers of the evil deeds of 
these lowest of all idolators. 

* Taster" Russell. Inasmuch as this man, the self- 
styled "great preacher and expositor" continues to parade 
through this country, scattering his evil teachings and 
doing great harm, we are obliged to continue our warning. 

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle has taken special care to 
investigate the record of this man and to expose him. 
That his wife received a divorce from him is well known. 
The following extract from the Eagle gives additional 
information: 

"The Court of Common Pleas, to which Mrs. Russell appealed 
for alimony, denied Pastor Russell's plea that he was penniless. 
The court heard evidence showing that he had transferred property 
worth $317,000 to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, of 
which he is the president. Referring to one transaction involving 
a sheriff's sale of property worth $20,000 for less than $200, the 
court said: — *The purpose of this whole transaction was to deprive 
the wife of her dower interest and was a fraud on her.' The 
evidence produced against him in the alimony case was that he 
accumulated a fortune through stock speculation and donations 
from his followers, who arc taught to believe that the millennium 
is due in October, 1914/* 

Such is the man, who poses as "a great one," as special 
servant of God to teach God's Word and feed the flock 



MODERN DAY DELUSIONS. 143 

of Christ. It is enough evidence to open the eyes of every 
decent man and woman. 

The Work of Satan in the Mission Fields. The 

Satanic delusions of the latter days are not confined to 
America and England. They are being successfully propa- 
gated in heathen lands. "Millennial Dawnism" with its 
blasphemies against our Lord and general counterfeiting 
of the Truth of God circulates its literature in India, China 
and elsewhere. Christian Science and other evil systems 
do the same. Still worse, however, is it when the "New 
Theology" and "Higher Criticism" send their adherents to 
the Mission field. Certain societies send out men, who 
deny the Christ of God and the Blood. Their damnation 
is a thousand times worse than the damnation of the 
heathen they try to civilize. A large number of mis- 
sionaries have of late sent out an appeal, part of which 
appeared in "The Christian," (London) from which we 
quote. 

It is a matter of grave concern and one which should cause to all 
who are loyal to the Lord Jesus Christ deep heart-searchings and 
true humility, as they realize how sadly the Church's testimony has 
been weakened and her Lord betrayed by those purporting to be of 
the "household of faith." 

The paralyzing results of Higher Criticism and the New Theology 
affect, not only the great body of Christians in the home lands, but 
indirectly, yet definitely, through the inevitable outcome, retrench- 
ment, also the efforts being put forth in the foreign field. This, 
however, is but the beginning of a sea of trouble, the roar of whose 
angry waves is already to be heard, for the cries of assured victory, 
hailing from the walls of Doubting Castle, are echoing and re- 
echoing from pulpit, platform, and Press throughout this land. . . 

In reference to certain statements made, practically denymg the 
Godhead of Christ, some three years ago, a few Indian pastors 
wrote: "These things have naturally disturbed Indian Christians. 



144 CURRENT EVENTS. 

and have also given a handle to non-Christians to believe that, 
after all, Christians have come to the conclusion that their own view 
of the Person of Christ is not very diflPerent from that which is held 
by the Unitarians and the Prathana Samajists." Comment is 
superfluous. 

Realizing the extreme gravity of the position in Western and 
other parts of India, we write to express our deep concern at the 
efforts being put forth to propagate the teachings of Higher Criticism 
and the New Theology, which, in the home lands, have destroyed 
the faith of so many in the Bible, and have attacked the truth of the 
Deity of Christ; which, also in the foreign field, are a grave menace 
to true unity in Gospel service. We would also "set to our seal 
that God is true," and that we **are not ashamed of the Gospel of 
Christ" which *'is the power unto God unto salvation"; it being our 
firm conviction that the Gospel, as unfolded by the Holy Spirit 
in the inspired Word, is to-day India's one great need. 

We would call upon Christians to beware of sending out men 
and women in the capacity of missionaries, who are not "sound in 
the faith" or who are still "halting between two opinions." India 
to-day needs men and women, who through faith and experience 
have deep convictions, and who by life and lip will preach "Christ 
and Him crucified." 

Such is Satan's work. He attempts a worldwide over" 
throw of the faith delivered unto the Saints. Christians 
should be very careful in the support of missions, less 
they become partakers of the wicked deeds of critics and 
deniers of the faith, whom different societies send out. 



Social Conditions. 



A Bad Outlook for Reformers. Before us is the latest 
report of the United States Commissioner of Internal 
Revenue. He reports an astounding increase in the sale 
of cigarettes and intoxicants. During the three months, 
from July 1 to October 1, the past year, this nation 
consumed a million more cigarettes than during the same 
period of 1911. Worse is the increase in alcoholic bever- 
ages. The nation drank during these three months 
three hundred and twenty thousand more barrels of beer 
and four hundred and fifty thousand more gallons of 
whiskey than during the same three months of 1911. 
This increase is the more appalling in view of the great 
eflForts made by the reformers and prohibitionists, who 
make the foolish claim, that this nation is about to stop 
the manufacturing and sale of all alcoholic drinks. And 
preachers can, in spite of all these evidences, continue 
to speak of "this Christian nation" and how the church 
is rapidly changing the moral condition of the world. 
These false prophets are ignorant of what God's Word 
predicts about the end of this age and they are equally 
ignorant of existing conditions. 

Lawlessness, Violence and Murder. The confession 
of the McNamara brothers has brought to light an awful 
condition of things. It seems these men for years resorted 



146 CURRENT EVENTS. 

to deeds of violence and are responsible for the lives of a 

number of people. Behind them others stood who are 
equally responsible. What the investigation now in 
progress will bring to light remains to be seen. The 
current of anarchy is far stronger than it is generally 
known. We quote from one of the leading dailies of New 
York City: 

American Socialism made a fool of itself over the McNamara 
case, and a very dangerous fool at that. The McNamaras were not 
Socialists, but no labor leaders were so virulent as the Socialists in 
denouncing the arrests. No labor leaders used such incendiary 
language as the Socialists in seeking to convince the country that 
these men were martyrs who were about to be murdered by a 
bloodthirsty capitalism. 

Mr. Debs practically defied the courts to convict the McNamaras. 
Immediately after their arrest, the "Call," the organ of the Socialists 
in New York, said: "The same attempt is made to arouse public 
fury not so much that the McNamaras may be murdered, but in 
order that the working class may be beaten into submission.'* 
Everywhere Socialists seized upon the incident to preach a more 
vindictive gospel of class war. 

Even when the stunning confession became public, no Socialist 
leader expressed the faintest degree of horror at the crimes that 
had been committed. They were all engaged in reviling the con- 
fession as a "plant" to injure the Socialist ticket in the Los Angeles 
election. It was not until the country had begun to appreciate the 
full significance of the pleas of guilty that Socialist leaders suddenly 
discovered that they were opposed to the use of dynamite in advanc- 
ing their doctrines. But they had been preaching a class war 
in language that led logically to dynamite and murder. If social 
and economic conditions in this country are one-tenth part as bad 
as Socialist orators and writers pretend, workingmen would be 
justified in resorting to any weapons to release themselves from an 
intolerable slavery. 

The fact of the matter is that under its irresponsible leadership 
American Socialism has been dealing in an incendiary dcmagogisra 
that must inevitably turn such minds as those of the McNamaras. 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 147 

Socialism cannot shirk its share of the responsibility and throw all 
the blame upon organized labor. Its language has consistently 
given the lie to its own doctrines. 

Socialistic Sunday Schools. The remarkable rise and 
spread of Socialism is baffling the statesmen of all nations. 
In this country, In Germany, England and other lands 
the rising generation Is being taught systematically the 
principles of Socialism and the hatred of the rich. The 
following Is a report of what Is done In this direction 
In England: 

"The character of the ideas taught in the Socialist Sunday Schools 
established in England for the purpose of making Socialists out of 
children has served as a basis for protests to the newspapers. One 
writer asserts that this conversation took place in such an insti- 
tution: 

The Teacher — Can a boy socialist be a Boy Scout. '^ 

Answer — No, comrade. 

The Teacher — Why cannot a boy socialist be a Boy Scout. f* 

Answer — -Because a Boy Scout has to salute the Union Jack. 

The Teacher — Why must not a boy socialist salute the Union Jack.? 

Answer — Because the Union Jack is an emblem of oppression 
and slavery." 

It Is dreadful to think what the harvest will be ere 
long from this kind of seed. "Despising authorities and 
speaking evil of dignities" (Jude vll) Is one of the predicted 
marks of the apostasy. Utter lawlessness cannot be far 
away. The restraining power In the world, the Holy 
Spirit, holds It still In check. 

The Solemn Lessons of a Great Disaster. The most 
magnificent steamship ever built, the Titanic^ collided 
during a clear night with an Iceberg and sunk In a few 
hours. Over 1,500 human beings lost their lives and were 
swept suddenly Into eternity. Among the passengers 
were some of the wealthiest men of the world, as well as 



148 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Others well known in the sphere of literature, art and 
science. Perhaps never before a ship sailed the ocean 
which carried such prominent men, leaders of society 
and the financial world. Their baggage contained 
millions of dollars worth of precious stones, pearls and 
other treasures. A few hours only and this proud mon- 
arch of the ocean found a grave and resting place some 
12,000 feet below the water level. Many of the great 
men perished with all their wealth. But a few of their 
bodies were recovered. It was on a Sunday night when 
the Titanic, going at a high speed, hurled itself against 
an immense wall of ice. Different witnesses declared 
that it was a night of merry-making. A ball was going 
on and the band played at its best, while others were 
engaged in card-playing. Even when the crash came 
few realized the danger. The officers for a time laughed 
down the idea that the ship could sink. And then the 
horrible scenes which followed and the deathwail of the 
hundreds which went into the watery grave. But there 
is no need to describe the details of this greatest sea 
disaster of the world. Our friends are sufficiently familiar 
with it from the reports of the daily papers. We turn our 
attention to a few of the lessons this terrible event teaches. 
We are convinced that our God has given a solemn 
warning to this age in the sinking of the Titanic. We feel 
that this dreadful disaster was permitted by our Lord for 
a wise and great purpose. The age, which is socn to 
close is "Man's Day." It is the age of boasting and the 
age of defiance of God and Mis laws as the Creator. As 
all intelligent readers of the Word of God know, the god 
of this age is ''Satan'' (2 Cor. iv:4); and he blinds the eyes 
of them that believe not. His object is to make men 
believe that this age is constantly improving, getting 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 149 

better and will thus go on indefinitely. God's Word 
declares that it is an evil age, an age of unrighteousness 
and that its end will come suddenly in great and mighty 
judgments of God. Satan, as the god of this age, has 
used the progress, inventions and achievements of late 
years to back up his lies. He uses the supposed fireproof 
skyscrapers, earthquakeproof buildings, unsinkable ships, 
wireless telegraphy and other things to blind the world to 
the real conditions of things in this age and lulls thereby 
the great mass of people into a false security. And now 
one of the greatest achievements of this age, a great 
swimming palace of immense size, filled with all the 
luxurious appointments to satisfy the lusts of the flesh 
and the eye, a marvellous structure in which a thousand 
modern day inventions were united, an "unsinkable ship," 
is wiped out of existence on its maiden trip! Surely God 
has spoken. God, so to speak, calls a halt to this age in 
its mad race for progress and improvement. The warn- 
ing is a solemn one. Man's boasted progress cannot 
keep back disaster and judgment. That in a night, clear 
and calm, such a catastrophe should have happened is 
more than striking. It is a warning that still greater 
disasters w^ill come. God has written it in His Word 
that judgments will be visited upon this age, when it has 
reached its heights, judgments such as the world has 
never known before. The sinking of the * Titanic" is 
God's warning that He is not mocked and that He will 
deal soon in judgment with this age. If one looks at 
downtown New York and sees upon this narrow strip 
of land the great awe-inspiring structures, perhaps greater 
than the towxr of Babylon ever was, one thinks what 
an awful catastrophe if some day an earthquake should 



150 CURRENT EVENTS. 

shake this island. Who knows but that may be the next 
to humble man with his proud achievements. 

The false security of the passengers and the absolute 
trust in the unsinkable ship gives us another solemn 
lesson. All reports said that there was no alarm when 
the collision occurred, officers and stewards allayed the 
fears of the passengers. The wireless operators joked 
about sending out the extreme danger signals calling for 
help. Even when the lifeboats were commanded to be in 
readiness and to be launched, only a few women went into 
the first one. And when the danger became more appar- 
ent men could stand about and believe in the absolute 
safety of the ship and trusted in the statement, "She 
cannot sink." Then suddenly the great ocean liner 
plunged forward and the poor souls hoping against hope 
were swept away by the seas or sunk into the terrible 
depths with the doomed vessel. Then what happened? 
Let an eyewitness give us the story. 

"Then there happened the most terrible thing. I do not believe, 
as long as I live, that I shall ever be able to get out of my ears, my 
mind and my heart, the terrible cries of the sixteen hundred doomed 
souls which floated to us across the water. 

"For an hour, through the darkness of the night, we heard them, 
the pitiful heartrending wailings of those dying in the water, for 
whom there was to be no help on earth. Then gradually one by 
one they died down, and we heard them no more. 

"It was sad, sad, and we could do nothing for them. The cold, 
a bitter, numbing cold, which palsied nerves and muscles alike, had 
done its work and the sea had claimed those who had no right to 
die. I am told that one or two bodies were seen in the water 
afterward of persons frozen, and doubled stiffly by the awful cold." 

In reading all this how one is reminded of that which is 
yet to come. "For when they shall say Peace and Safety, 
then sudden destruction cometh upon them" (1 Thessal. 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 151 

v:3). This disaster may be looked upon as a little sample 
of what is coming for this world with its mass of nominal 
Christians, unsaved and pleasure-seeking. Peace and 
Safety! This is the delusion Satan tries to strengthen, 
and he does it not alone by using the great achievements 
of the age but also by such lying "isms" like Christian 
Science, the New Theology, Bahaism and others. Peace 
and Safety — then sudden destruction! What a wail of 
despair when God's judgments overtake this world at 
last! Then they will say to the mountains and to the 
rocks, Fall on us and hide us; the great day of His Wrath 
is come, and who shall be able to stand (Rev. vi:15-17). 

How gladly the multi-millionaires would have sacrificed 
their millions, the wealthy women their gems and magnifi- 
cent gowns, if only they might have been saved. But 
all had lost its value. They had no more use for it all. 
Perhaps not once they remembered the beautiful idols 
of silver and gold. Death stared them in the face and after 
death, as God's holy Word tells us, the judgment. 

All has its lessons and is but a little prelude what 
will be in the day when Jehovah deals in judgment with 
this earth. Then "they shall cast their sUver in the 
streets, and their gold shall be removed; their silver and 
their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of 
the wrath of the Lord; they shall not satisfy their souls, 
neither fill their bowels" (Ezek. vii:19). "And I will 
bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind 
men, because they have sinned against the Lord, and 
their blood shall be poured out like dust, andtheir flesh 
as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall 
be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath" 
(Zeph. i:17-18). 



152 CURRENT EVENTS. 

But will the world heed the warning of this disaster? 
Will the unsaved masses profit thereby? Will the rush 
of the age after the things of this passing age be arrested? 
A few weeks have passed since the great disaster and the 
above questions are answered. All goes on in its usual 
way. New plans are made to overcome difficulties and 
danger. There is no sign of repentance, no sign of turning 
to God and to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

May we, His people, give heed to the solemn lessons of 
this great disaster. Judgment will be God's next work. 
We praise Him for His Mercy which hath delivered us and 
will deliver us from the wTath to come. May we use the 
time and our privileges as long as our Lord still waits in 
patience. 

China's Hungry Millions. Another great famine has 
come to poor China. The last great famine a number 
of years ago claimed nine million victims, and it is now 
feared that the present one may assume similar propor- 
tions. What such a famine really is and means, w^e, in a 
land of plenty, can hardly realize. We quote from one 
who spent almost twenty years in China: 

"It is difficult for us to realize the real horror of these extensive 
famines, confined almost wholly to China, India and Russia. Under 
the best conditions, the Chinese live but a sordid life devoid of 
many thmgs we would regard as necessary to existence, and with 
every form of luxury unknown. What the Chinese know as pros- 
perity, we should regard as the severest hardship, as it means a 
coarse and meagre living, a cramped and cheerless hut, and the 
most trying toil from the rising of the sun until the fall of dark- 
ness. 

"Milk and butter are practically unknown; meat is rarely tasted 
oftener than once a week, and then only under prosperous con- 
ditions, and in the fat years there is little surplus to be saved for 
the lean years of famine. Hence, when drought or flood destroy 






SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 153 

the crops, there is nothing for the hard-working farmers to fall 
back upon. 

"In the case of a man of means, he sells first his cow, the water 
buffalo that ploughs his fields, then his farm utensils, and finally 
his household goods. One by one, all are *eaten up,* as he would 
say. Then the doors and windows are taken from the mud-brick 
hut and carried to market, and at last the few timbers that support 
the roof go to nourish the family. Left at last without a roof, 
they join the endless procession of refugees, some to drop and die 
where they fall, and others to struggle and stagger onward, in the 
hope of reaching some more prosperous region. Often they are 
huddled into tiny huts, hardly larger than a half-barrel, cut end- 
wise, and made of cheap matting, and in these camps pestilence 
soon finds its way, often in the form of relapsing fever, frequently 
the deadly typhus, and also in small-pox.'* 

How thankful we ought to be for God's goodness to us 
in our own land. And some day God will visit the 
countries so privileged with sore judgments, including 
famines. Read Rev. vi:5-8. When one thinks of the 
luxurious living and the sinful waste, which goes on in 
this land of plenty, as well as the ingratitude to God, one 
feels that judgment must come some day. And too little 
compassion there is for the suffering millions on the 
other side of the globe. 

The Socializing of Christianity. When, a few years 
ago, the American Institute of Social service began to 
issue the "kingdom lessons" introducing social questions 
into the Sunday School, we sounded a warning in our edi- 
torial remarks. We predicted that the Gospel and the 
Bible would surely be crowded out. A few years only 
and now we see an interdenominational movement in the 
council of church federation, adopting a creed, which 
ignores the Gospel of our salvation and substitutes the 
social questions of the day. Everywhere one hears the 



154 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Statements, that the business of the church is to throw 
herself into the social side of things and that the old way 
of the preaching of the Gospel is no longer sufficient. 
We could fill many pages with reports of meetings, utter- 
ances by preachers and others, which reveal the almost 
universal drift of Christendom towards the socialistic 
idea. In the Brooklyn Methodist preachers meeting a 
Jewish Rabbi delivered, as the press gave it, "A New 
Epistle from the Hebrews." 

Rabbi Nathan Krass, of Brooklyn, gave the Methodist ministers' 
meeting last Monday a lively "Epistle from a Hebrew," emphasizing 
the new social religion as a plane upon which Jew and Christian may 
unite in behalf t)f humanity and "make this world an antechamber 
of the world to come." 

"Too much time is spent in discussing doctrine," said the rabbi, 
"and not enough in applying it. Preachers speculate a lot on how 
many angels can dance upon the point of a needle and forget about 
his angels who are suffering for the necessities of life. They split 
hairs on matters of theology. 

"This is a new age, and the great emphasis of thought is upon 
human welfare. Theology has given away to sociology. Men are 
beginning to find out that God has great concern for humanity. His 
book does not have much about the world to come, but has a lot 
about this world. That is where the emphasis is, and we must make 
the world an antechamber to the divine dwelling — transform the 
present world. And that is where the Jew and the Christian can 
get together. 

"You cannot convert me and I cannot convert you, but we can 
unite in an overture for our fellow men. If we can't get together 
on creeds we can get together in behalf of humanity. But what 
are we doing together.^ There are problems too shocking to name — 
there is the social evil. We can leave the Police department to 
those who are investigating it, though we have learned some things 
about it we did not know before. 

"There are the same evils on Fifth avenue as on the east side. I 
overheard the butler of one of these castles of wealth, and what he 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 155 

said could not be repeated even before you men; but I do not refer 
to that; what they do behind their closed doors we cannot prevent. 
But there are places where we can protect the girls, where they are 
underpaid for their work and driven to the streets. We can tackle 
the procurers, the white slavers and those who build the brothels and 
bring innocent girls to them. Many of these girls are weak, but we 
can prevent most of them from going into such places. 

"Have you seen the play, ^Milestones'? I have, and its movement 
illustrates the movement of religious thought. There was the age of 
great faith, of theology, of eschatology — milestones — and now it is 
the age of sociology. 

"And this is the epistle from a Hebrew — the heart-to-heart talk of 
a Jew to his Christian brethren." 

He received the usual vote of thanks and compliments 
for his address. A few years more and where will this 
thing lead to? We firmly believe this socializing of 
Christianity, this reform-movement, this progressive- 
ecclesiastical endeavor to rule out and vote out vices and 
present day evils, this coming together for social service, 
is the finest game Satan is playing. He stands behind 
this whole business and is satisfied with it, as long as he 
can achieve his great object. His aim is against the Son 
of God and against the Gospel. There is no room for 
Christ, no room for Salvation by Grace in this social 
movement. 

The Increasing Unrest of the World. This is an 
editorial from a daily published on the Pacific coast, it 
gives the present unrest of the world. Daily papers have 
their eyes far more wide open than some of the "religious 
leaders" with their optimistic programs. 

Since the message of peace was borne on academic lips to the world, 
war has gradually become the order of the day; until now all the 
world is at war, or at least preparing for it. 

In Europe the smaller nations have been at war for some time, 



156 CURRENT EVENTS. 

while the greater ones but wait an open chance to get Into the 
conflict. 

In Asia, Persia is in anarchy, expecting dissolution. In India, 
unrest has eaten into the very fibre of its people. In China, a newer 
revolution is arising from the ashes of the last, and the extent of its 
rebellion cannot be gauged. In Africa, the rioting which is taking 
place in Johannesburg merely exemplifies the anarchical state of 
that country, and the deadly danger it incurs from the countless 
colored people in the land. 

In Australia, the united resistance to authority will create a 
condition of affairs in which all will feel hostile to freedom, here 
run riot. 

But it is with matters more nearly at home that we are concerned. 
Within the past few weeks certain European nations have seen fit to 
interest themselves in American affairs and presume to dictate to 
this continent. Relying on their presumption, an Asian nation 
again stepped into untimely prominence, and has been hailed by a 
people of this country as their deliverer. 

Mexico thus becomes to us of more immediate concern than the 
many warrings of the nations. In result, in almost every quarter 
of the earth war is in swift preparation, according to the wisdom of 
the rulers. But the prospective national wars are of small concern 
in comparison with the fermenting and rebellious nature of each 
people. 

National strikes are on all sides in progress and indirectly retard 
the effective outlet of military operations. Thus internal wars may 
prevent international conflagrations. This is the condition of the 
world's peace so noisily out heralded." 

This ever increasing unrest forebodes nothing good. It 
is the murmuring of the approaching storm, which will 
soon sweep in unprecedented fury over the earth. 

Fire Losses by Suffragettes. The following taken from 
the Times is a list of the principal fire losses caused by- 
suffragettes this year: Eight private houses, three cricket 
pavilions, two churches, two railroad depots, two race 
stands and a boathouse were destroyed or damaged. 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 157 

Estimated 

Date Property Locality Loss 

Mar. 9 . . Railway St Croxley Green $6,500 

April 4. .Priv. House Norwich 10,000 

" 5 . . Racestand Ayr 10,000 

" 11. .Cricket Pav Tunbridge Wells 6,000 

" 15. .Priv. House St. Leonards 25,000 

" 27. .Cricket Pav Perth 6,250 

May 6. .Church Hatcham 75,000 

" 9. .Priv. House Barrow 30,000 

" 10, .Priv. House Dundee 50,000 

" 12.. Boathouse Nottingham 8,000 

June 4. .Priv. House Bradford, Wilts. 35,000 

5. .Cricket Pav Muswell Hill 5,000 

" 8. .Racestand Hurst Park 30,000 

" 10. .Priv. House Edinburgh 12,500 

" 18. .Church Rowley Regis 30,000 

" 30. .Ballikinrain Castle.. .Stirlingshire 125,000 

" 30. .Railway Station Leuchars Junct 10,000 

July 7.. Bungalow . Rivington, Lane 100,000 



Total estimated loss $574,250 

Several other fires have to be added and the end is not 
yet. There is only one explanation of all this, these 
wicked women are possessed by demons. 

The Progress of Moral Corruption. During July a 
prize-fight occurred in London, England. Two men 
slugged away at each other for money which was offered 
to them. This wicked, barbaric sport was witnessed by 
thousands of people. The master of ceremonies, who 
stood up to announce the combatants was an English 
"clergyman," a certain "Reverend" J. K. Boudier. At 
least twenty more gentlemen of "the cloth" with their 
peculiar collars were in the audience to applaud the 
nasty, ungodly scene. We quote from the special cable 
despatch. 



158 CURRENT EVENTS. 

The scene about the ringside was one never to be forgotten by 
those privileged to see the coronation of a new lightweight monarch. 
The group of tight collared ministers in evening dress was but 
a trifle more dignified in behavior than the lords and dukes sur- 
rounding them. They applauded as heartily, if slightly less vocifer- 
ously, the introductions of the champion and the challenger. And 
throughout the heated duel even the clergy so far forgot the straight 
and narrow path as to vent a hearty British cheer for some telling 
blow well sped. 

Into bold relief these occasional slight indignities of the dignified 
threw the merry, mad abandon with which the richly gowned 
ladies voiced cheir appreciation of the struggle. Bejewelled matrons 
and budding debutantes who never would forget the stern mandates 
of decorum in the drawing room had an occasion here to turn back 
the leaves of time to the less civilized past. They exhorted, they 
applauded, they cheered; at times they waved their graceful arms 
or shrugged their pretty, bare shoulders as either pugilist rallied 
to turn the tide of battle. 

More than a thousand women, among them many of the most 
exclusive aristocracy, saw the titanic struggle. And in their favor 
be it said they showed a shade more sportsmanship than the male 
element. For the men, like all men with money down, rooted loyal 
for the success of their respective choice, while the ladies — and some 
of them wagered as enthusiastically as their escorts — applauded 
without favor the skill of either man. 

We cannot find words strong enough to condemn a 
scene like this. These '^tight-collared'' sports should 
hide their faces in shame. That women were so prominent 
is in fullest keeping with their emancipation schemes. 
Their corruption is surely the worst the world has ever 
seen. Surely in such scenes all is fulfilled that God has 
revealed about the last days, the days of peril and un- 
righteousness. **Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of 
God." May God have mercy on some of them and open 
their eyes before it is too late. 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 159 

Great Wealth and Luxuries the Foreninners of Judg- 
ment. We read recently an interesting volume on the 
"The influence of wealth in Imperial Rome."* It depicts 
from different sources the great accumulation of wealth, 
the world-wide commerce, the astounding extravagances 
and vices of the Roman Empire, as well as the miserable 
conditions of the poor and how all these things brought 
about in the end the fall of the great world empire. The 
Roman Empire had its capitalists, its bankers, a Wall 
Street and a vast financial system. The commercial pace 
was furious — almost as furious — if it can be possible — 
as in the twentieth century. This book declares that 
Alexandria, for instance, had a commercial pre-eminence 
not possessed by even London or New York to-day, not to 
mention Hamburg or the European capitals. The Roman 
commerce extended all over the known world as the find- 
ing of Roman coins in India, Ceylon, China and other dis- 
tant parts witness. As a result immense fortunes were 
obtained and money began to control everything. Sensu- 
ality, so declares a Roman writer, effeminacy, prodigal 
display of wealth went hand in hand with soulless money 
grasping. A gilded vice stifled all morality. Money was 
sought frantically, because it was needed for what the 
fashionable world called enjoyment. After the fiercest 
rush for wealth, we find coming into the Roman world, 
so says the author of this volume, the fiercest rush for 
excite m.ent, for something new to feed the sated senses, 
hence the scattering of fortunes on tasteless palaces, race 
horses, pretty slaves, elaborate suppers, perfumes and 
pearls and many things worse. In conclusion Prof. Davis 
says: "Its citizens served Mammon in the place of God, 

*By Professor W. S. Davis, University of Minnesota. 



160 CURRENT EVENTS. 

with more than usual consistency. The power they wor- 
shipped carried them a certain way — then delivered them 
over to their own rottenness, and to the resistless enemy. 
Their fall was great, for their empire with their social 
structure still looms as the greatest fabric ever reared by 
human ingenuity; while the lesson of their fall lies patent 
to the Twentieth Century." 

But will the Twentieth Century read the awful lesson 
which is ineffaceably written on the pages of history ? Will 
that which is now occupying the territory of the Roman 
Empire and our own great continent profit by the condi- 
tions prevailing in that Empire, which led up to its fall? 
We think not; but history repeats itself. If one beholds 
the surging masses in our great cities, the mad race after 
the dollar, the even greater rush for pleasures and excite- 
ments to gratify the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes 
and the pride of life, one trembles in view of what is bound 
to come. And the great mass of people do not see that 
judgment is hastening. They do not realize that a civili- 
zation which is built upon unrighteousness, which leads to 
extravagance, luxuries and its attending evils, must 
sooner or later be swept away and fall like others fell. 
How successfully the god of this age has blinded the eyes 
to the real conditions of things. Great commerce, great 
wealth, great progress, great inventions — but they cannot 
save. 

But we do not need the lessons of past great empires, 
their wealth, their luxuries and fearful ruin and fall. The 
Word of God in which we implicitly believe foretells an 
end of judgment for the present age. 

Ominous Gatherings. Recently on the anniversary of 
the death of Prof. Francesco Ferrer, who was shot in 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 161 

Spain in connection with the anarchistic movement in that 
country, meetings commemorating his death were held in 
all the larger cities. In New York 5,000 persons gathered 
in Cooper Union and over 5,000 more outside. Three 
other meetings in different parts of the city were held 
to inflame the people against law and order, God and the 
church. We quote from an exchange. 

Inside the Cooper Union speeches extolling the worth of Ferrer 
were made in English, German, Italian, Spanish, Bohemian and 
Yiddish. When the woman Emma Goldman took the platform 
she attacked God, denounced the churches, especially the Roman 
Catholic Church, and the public schools. She ejaculated: "I came 
here to-night to commemorate the death of a great man and to attend 
three funerals — that of the Church, for it dominates the human 
mind; that of Capitalism, for it dominates human needs; and that 
of Government, for it dominates human conduct." This is fine 
phrasing. Many are so intoxicated by phrases that they cannot 
discern true from false or what is from what is not. Leonard 
Abbott, chairman, said that within a year Ferrer's name would be 
as well known as Theodore Roosevelt's, and within one hundred 
years as well known as Jesus Christ^s! 

Ernest Haeckel, of Germany, who, whatever he says in his heart, 
says in public, "There is no God," sent a communication. 

Ferrer Sunday Schools have been set up in this city and about 
one hundred boys and girls from the Ferrer Sunday Schools came 
on the stage, sang and decorated the portrait with flowers. It was 
explained that these Sunday Schools are the forerunners of a big 
public daily school. Alexander Berkmann, the anarchist, who 
served a prison term for shooting Henry Frick, the iron multi- 
millionaire of Pittsburgh, and who was afterward the "companion" 
of Emma Goldman, is superintendent of the largest of these schools. 
It was claimed that the Ferrer Association has about $40,000 in 
hand for the construction of this daily school." 

The worst feature of the Cooper Union gathering was 
that a number of influential men federated with these 
anarchists. Many thousands of Jewish young men are 



162 CURRENT EVENTS. 

outspoken anarchists. The agitation for an out and out 
overthrow of all existing orders and laws grows at an 
appalling rate. Well do great statesmen fear and tremble 
for the future. The lawless One looms up more promi- 
nently. When at last the great upheaval comes it will 
produce such suffering and tribulation, that the world 
has never seen before. Even so God's Word tells us. 

The Food Problems the Result of Greed. The enor- 
mous prices charged for the necessary articles of food 3uch 
as eggs, butter, milk, meat, flour, etc., have of late called 
forth a vigorous and almost universal outcry from the 
suffering masses.. Hundreds of thousands pledged them- 
selves to abstain from certain kinds of food till the prices 
are lowered. The cause of these conditions is sought in 
different directions. The greed of large and influential 
trusts is no doubt at the bottom of it all. God has been 
good in giving rich and plentiful harvests, but the greed 
and selfishness of man hoards it up and produces situations 
such as we have been witnessing. 

We think of the message of Amos given at a time of 
similar conditions, when in days of luxuries, the extrava- 
gant living of the rich, the poor were trodden down. Then 
the Prophet declared that the sellers of the wheat made 
the ephah small (a small measure) and th^ shekel war^ made 
great (a big price charged), they also falsified the bal- 
ances by deceit. The refuse of the wheat was sold (Amos 
viii:4-6). And God, who considereth the poor, announced 
judgment: '*! will never forget any of their works." The 
Lord will surely deal with all these evils in His day. But 
before that day comes these conditions will become worse. 
The present day combinations and trusts are the fore- 
runners of that which we read in Rev. xiii:16-17: "And he 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 163 

(the anti-Christ) causeth all, both small and great, rich 
and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right 
hand, or on their foreheads; and that no man might buy or 
sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, 
or the number of his name." 

The White Slave Traffic. The exposures of this in- 
fernal twentieth century traffic, which recently have been 
made in New York City and elsewhere, are simply terrible. 
Our great cities are sinks of vice and immoralities which 
would make Sodom and Gomorrah blush. It seems evi- 
dent that Jews, apostatized from the faith of their fathers, 
have a good deal to do with this awful curse, though 
wicked Gentiles are just as prominent in it. One Lewin- 
son, who confessed to this crime of luring girls of fifteen 
and sixteen years into a life of shame, made the statement 
that the five-cent picture shows are the places where this 
work is most successfully done. The nasty details of the 
seductions we care not to reprint in our pages. On an 
average, as shown by the police reports, from eight to ten 
young girls disappear daily mysteriously in New York. 
And this evil is not confined to the Metropolis, it is as 
bad in all the larger "Christian cities." What a mockery, 
"Christian cities!" 

"As it was in the days of Lot so shall it be when the Son 
of Man Cometh." 

Sources of Discontent Among the Masses. There is a 
growing and widespread discontent among the masses. 
The high cost of living, the oppression from the side of 
selfish employers resulting in the grinding of the poor, 
produce this unhappy condition. One leading cause is 
the extravagances and luxuries of the wealthy class. 
Recently some eight society ladies gave an expensive 



164 CURRENT EVENTS. 

luncheon to their eight pet dogs. A special caterer had 
been hired for the occasion and there were special deco- 
rations and other costly arrangements, all in honor of 
eight society dogs. One of these creatures, it is said, 
cost about $25,000. Such an affair creates the most 
bitter feeling among the poorer classes and feeds the 
smouldering flames of rebellion and anarchy. Some day 
there will be an outburst of lawlessness which will deal 
a fearful blow to the rich. Then their miser>^ will surely 
come upon them as predicted in the Word of God: *'.Come 
now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that shall 
come upon you" (James v.l). 

The Great Anti-Romish Agitation. That Rome, the 
corruptress of nations, is passing through a severe crisis 
is known to all readers of present day events. France has 
completely revolted against that powerful institution 
which claims to be ''the'' church. And now Spain has 
joined the same revolt against the Vatican. What con- 
ditions exist in priest-ridden Spain is learned from the 
"Statesman's Year Book." 

"The national Church of Spain is the Roman Catholic, and the 
whole population of the kingdom adhere to that faith, except about 
30,000 — Protestants (about 7,000), Jews (about 4,000), Rationalists, 
etc. Within the Peninsula, apart from Portugal, there are nine 
metropolitan sees and forty-seven suffragan sees, the chief being 
Toledo, whose archbishop bears likewise the title of Patriarch of the 
West Indies. The Constitution requires the nation to support the 
clergy and the buildings, etc., of the Church, and for this purpose 
the State expends annually about 41,000,000 pesetas ($8,200,000) 
* * * The relation between the Church and the State, and the 
position of the religious orders, are regulated by the Concordat of 
1851. A restricted liberty of worship is allowed to Protestants, 
but it has to be entirely in private. The communities of the religious 
orders arc numerous and influential in Spain. Many of them have 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 165 

schools, and about 5,200 of their members are engaged in teaching 
boys of the upper and middle classes, while, within many of their 
establishments, industries of all kinds are carried on. The number 
of religious orders in Spain is about 3,253, of which 597 are for men 
and 2,656 are for women. Of those for men, 294 are devoted to 
education, 92 to the training of missionaries, and 97 to the train- 
ing of priests. The total number of monks is about 10,630 (in- 
cluding 840 foreigners). The orders for women comprise 910 for 
education, 1,029 for charity, and 717 for a contemplative life. The 
, number of nuns is about 40,040 (including 1,360 foreign women)." 

Besides these facts others could be stated which give 
the reasons why such an agitation is in existence. But 
while Rome is losing ground and is thus being spoiled in 
the lands which tolerated her abominations for centuries, 
she makes great headway in England and in America. 
The stronghold of Rome to-day are the countries which 
boast of being Protestant. Protestantism is so completely 
stripped of its power to protest that it slumbers in the 
lap of Delilah. "Back to Rome" seems to be the drift in 
the two great English speaking countries. More tolera- 
tion! We are all brethren! Away with the narrowness of 
past ages! — are some of the Protestant shouts we hear 
about us. But Rome remains the same. She has still a 
great future, though brief, before her. This is revealed in 
the last book of the Bible. Once more Rome will become 
the great mistress of the world. Her coming and final 
doom is faintly outlined in what is happening to her in 
France and in Spain. The political revival of the old 
Roman Empire will give her again, in the coming closing 
years of this age, the supremacy. But the ten Kings will 
turn against her. It is written: "And the ten horns 
(ten Kings), which thou sawest upon the beast (the 
revived Roman Empire), these shall hate the whore 



166 CURRENT EVENTS. 

(Rome) and shall make her desolate and naked and shall 
eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God hath put in 
their hearts to fulfill His will, and to agree and to give 
their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall 
be fulfilled. And the woman which thcu sawest is that 
great city, which reigneth over the Kings of the earth" 
(Rev. xvii:16-18). 

'*A Youth of Nineteen, Nervously Unsettled by a Try- 
ing Occupation, sought recreation at a moving-picture 
show in Newark, N. J., The "entertainment" in 
eluded a realistic suicide by gas-inhalation, enact- 
ed with vivid and horrible detail. The boy went to his 
lodgings, stopped keyhole and door cracks as the pictured 
suicide had done, turned on the illuminating gas, and set 
his soul adrift into the great darkness. He was found 
dead on Sunday morning. If a manhole cover in the high- 
way is ofi", the authorities put up a warning or a barrier, 
lest a brute fall in and suffer harm. But the moving-pic- 
ture show had a license from the authorities to keep its 
more dangerous pitfall open on the public way, and to 
lure men into it. This is a sensational case, but it shows 
at the worst a baneful influence which is being allowed 
almost free course for the corruption of youth under the 
guise of harmless amusement." 

Thus speaks the N, Y, Christian Advocate on this fright- 
ful evil and we endorse every word of it. But we add 
also that not the half has been told. Covering the country 
as we do we have heard and seen considerable more of the 
disastrous influence these moving-picture shows have upon 
the minds of the young. Thefts and even unnamable 
crimes have been committed because the suggestions came 
from these miserable shows. But what shall we say to the 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 167 

professing church here and there endorsing this instru- 
mentality of the devil? In several places "churches have 
rented the airdomes" (moving-picture exhibitions in the 
open air) to hold their services there and make the summer 
Lord's day evening meetings attractive by moving- 
pictures. Of course the pictures are of a **religious" 
nature; nevertheless the whole is an endorsement of these 
places. Last year while South, in a small southern Georgia 
town, we were told of a preacher who offered for an induce- 
ment to attend the prayer meeting a free moving-picture 
show at the close of the prayer meeting. When that 
service was concluded he took the people across the street 
to the show and treated them old and young. He belongs 
to the largest evangelical denomination on this continent. 
And what about Christian men and women being stock- 
holders in these concerns? But such is the case. Cor- 
ruption increases on all sides. An insane desire for 
pleasure and a good time seems to have seized all classes. 
What an awful awaking there must soon come! 

A Socialistic Preacher. The pastor of the First Congre- 
gational Church of Schenectady, N. Y., became the 
socialist mayor of that city. He went from bad to worse 
in his political career. His congregation at last asked 
him to resign. The New York Sun had a sarcastic 
editorial on this matter, which we print herewith: 

"Nothing could be more natural than the indignation that over- 
swept the preacher-mayor of Schenectady when the congregation 
for whose spiritual welfare he is responsible voted him out of his 
pulpit on the mean and petty ground that he had neglected his 
ministerial duties. The contemptible nature of their attack is 
evidenced by the specific charges against him. These include the 
subjoined allegations: 

*'That the sacraments of the Church are no longer observed. 



168 CURRENT EVENTS. 

"That we have no pastor who visits the sick, buries our dead, 
or who offers the consolation of our Christian faith to its bereaved 
or distressed members. 

"That the minister now serving denies his belief in the orthodox 
Christian faith and ridicules those churches that hold these doctrines. 

"To refute these accusations the preacher-mayor has only to 
point to his record. Has he not got himself arrested in Little Falls? 
Has he not run for Congress on the Socialist ticket.? Has he not 
acquired without cost to himself several acres of press notices and 
an amount of sympathy far greater than could have been got in 
any pulpit or sickroom? Finally, is he not to be put on trial on 
February 17 for incitement to riot? 

"It is difficult to keep patience with persons who so completely 
misunderstand the functions of a preacher-socialist-mayor as do 
the members of the First Congregationalist Church of Schenectady. 
They must be reactionaries. By way of punishment they should 
be compelled to sit under their present preacher all their lives.*' 

If our Lord tarries just a few years longer we shall see 
hundreds of men who call themselves ^^clergymen" and 
who are following the socialistic, progressive, political 
platform of the federation of the churches. The essential 
thing, the preaching of the Gospel, they cast to the winds; 
the faith they give up. But at best they are the laughing 
stock of the world. 

Increasing Immorality. That the great centers ot 
Christendom are sinks of iniquity and vice is well known. 
Investigation has partly uncovered the existence of 
unspeakable abominations. Well meaning men like 
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., have offered large sums of 
money to combat the evil. How hopeless this task is, 
may be learned from the report of an expert investigator. 

Samuel H. London, the vice investigator who has testified before 
the Curran committee, announced last night that he intended to 
make known some new and startling information in regard to the 
social evil in this city. He said that this evil is not confined alone 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 169 

to the middle or lower classes, but that it exists in the 
very highest. 

"When I turn loose my information on the social evil and its gold 
lined, jewel studded ramifications in this city," he said, "the decent 
citizens of New York will turn an amazed 'right about face' in the 
sadly incomprehensive idea of this important and growing problem.** 

There is no vice trust here, according to Mr. London, for he says 
that girls auction themselves off for the privilege of working in a 
number of the cheaper class of disorderly houses here. For this 
they bid, he says, from $6 to $16, the money going to the procurer. 

"If John D. Rockefeller, Jr., hopes to discourage prostitution 
materially by seeking to reform unfortunate women his task is 
hopeless, for the number of women whose careers can be turned 
to the right road is infinitesimal," is one of the statements he makes. 

He declares that prostitution in Brooklyn is increasing at a 
remarkable rate and is encroaching even upon the best of the resi- 
dential sections. The sam.e conditions, he says, are met with in 
the Borough of Richmond. 

Mr. London's figures, backed up by numerous reports of Federal 
agents who worked under his direction, show that women earn and 
turn over to their procurers in this city $57,000,000 each year. 
In New York City he has found aged women who have acquired 
wealth by teaching young girls how most successfully to pursue 
this vocation. 

The outlook for these reformers must be gloomy indeed. 
Corruption through lust is in the world. Immoralities will 
increase as men and women turn away from God's revela- 
tion. The constantly increasing immoralities are the 
result of the rejection of the Word of God. 

The Moral Conditions of the German Capital. The 
Berlin Correspondent of an English paper has recently 
given a sad description of the moral degradation into which 
Berlin, the capital of the German Empire, has fallen. 
Germany used to be to a certain extent morally cleaner 
than the other European nations, but now their larger 
cities become more and more modern Babylons. We 
give a part of the article: 



170 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Serious German writers are raising their voices and pointing out 
that their great capital of four millions, once the centre of hard 
work and frugality and pristine German virtues, is now clothed 
in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and 
precious stones and pearls, and has become "the habitation of 
devils and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." 

It is not a pleasant task to point ouc the faults of the great city in 
which one has lived so long, in which one has found sterling friend- 
ship, and in which there are magnificent and powerful elements 
for good; but the startling developments of Berlin in evil things 
during recent years must not be left out of account by anyone who 
would follow the rise, progress and decay of nations. The rapid 
growth of Berlin in wealth and population has followed the mar- 
vellous development of the German empire during the past forty 
years. Wealth has poured into the capital, and with this wealth 
has come vice and corruption of a character surpassing in grossness 
anything to be met with in the older capitals of Europe. May I 
examine a few of the phenomena which force me to this conclusion? 

I take up the newspapers of the past fortnight. Hardly a day 
of these fourteen has passed without its tale of murder. A landlord 
shoots a tenant in most brutal fashion because the tenant insists 
on leaving without paying his rent; the owner of a shady hotel, 
resorted to by vicious persons of both sexes, shoots an indignant 
father who protests against the methods employed in conducting 
the hotel. There are scores of these hotels in Berlin. They are 
known to the police, but whilst the Berlin police show extraordinary 
activity in hunting down Socialists who make themselves obnoxious, 
they close their eyes to these plague spots. Two women of about 
forty were murdered by their lovers; a husband who had been 
wronged shot the man who wronged him; a woman of fifty was 
slaughtered by her husband in bed, the murderer using a hatchet 
for his deed; a poor seamstress was murdered in a wood outside 
Berlin by a ruffian who was a professional marriage swindler; a 
bath attendant murdered the woman who owned the baths because 
they had quarrelled about a bet on a horse. This by no means 
exhausts the list, but it shows its character and variety. The 
criminality of Berlin not only mounts, as far as numbers are con- 
cerned, but shows a tendency to increasing brutality. 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 171 

As ominous in another direction is the appalling number of suicides 
which fill the papers. Girls drown themselves because of unrequited 
affection; young people commit suicide because they have received 
bad marks at school, or have failed in their examinations; nearly 
every day we read of family tragedies, where fathers in money 
difhcukies make a cowardly exit from life. And, leaving the chapter 
of murders and suicides, the recent cases are innumerable where 
men in positions of trust betray the confidence placed in them and 
decamp as defaulters. 

Berlin at night is one of the most disgusting sights in Europe. 
When you speak to an ordinary Berliner you gather the impression 
that he is rather proud of what he calls the "Nachtleben" of his 
city. Of what does this ''night-life" consist.^ It consists of nnu- 
merable resorts in various quarters of the city — cabarets, cafes, 
variety theatres, dancing rooms, etc., glittering in meretricious 
splendor, which are the resorts of the depraved and vicious of both 
sexes, and where vice in its grossest and most ghastly forms has 
free course. These haunts of vice are practically open all night, 
and are crammed to the door with the youth of both sexes who 
believe that in these hells they are seeing life. 

I know a score of places, and more in the best parts of the city, 
where young men and women with decent bringing-up, with honest 
and clean homes, are being rapidly ruined, and, save in the feeblest 
way, hardly a protest is raised against this awful iniquity. If you 
venture to speak about it in ordinary society you are voted a bore 
and a Puritan, and are told that the twentieth century has other 
ideas than those which prevailed in the seventeenth. . . . 
There are, of course, purity associations here, and numerous faithful 
men and women who have not bowed the knee to Baal, but their 
voices are not heard in the raucous noises of Babylon. All over 
the city glittering cafes are being built, decked out with crystal 
and gilding, with comfortable chairs, with beautiful music, which 
are open all night long, and are resorted to by the clerks and shop- 
girls in their thousands. You can see them sitting there until 
two and three o'clock in the morning, sipping their beer or their 
coffee, and making one another's acquaintance. These places 
also are the resort of more doubtful characters of both sexes. 

The Enormous Waste. In a recently issued work, 'The 



172 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Price of Inefficiency/' the writer shows that in this country- 
ten billions of dollars are annually wasted. It is hard to 
grasp the meaning of this enormous sum of money. But 
it means that forty cents on every dollar goes for nothing. 
We quote a few of the principal items, which are well 
worth studying. Mr. Frank Koester in hie book gives 
us the following figures: 

We waste $50,000,000 and sacrifice fifty lives a year in forest 
fires, and have been doing it for over a generation, while in some 
years the loss amounts to $200,000,000 in money. In addition 
the young growth destroyed by fire is far more valuable than the 
merchantable timber burned. 

We waste 350 lives and the cost of 2,700 accidents in transpor- 
tation in New York City alone, with a proportionate loss in other 
cities throughout the country. These losses involve in addition 
great expenditures in litigation, the total of which is probably not 
less than $25,000,000 annually. 

We waste $30,000,000 horse-power every year by failure to utilize 
our water power. At $20 per horse-power per annum, which is 
below the average price, being less than one per cent, horse-power 
per hour, this waste amounts to $600,000,000. This is far in excess 
of the value of all coal used annually, and if this power were utilized 
coal could be conserved for future uses, for heating and purposes 
where the power would not be serviceable. 

We waste $238,000,000 in losses through floods and freshets. 
The most of this could be prevented by proper engineering in the 
erection of levees and dams. 

We waste $500,000,000 a year in soil erosion. Through the 
neglect of farmers to properly work their land and to prevent the 
formation of gullies, the fertility of the soil is washed into the low- 
lands and seas. 

We waste $659,000,000 a year through losses to growing crops, 
fruit trees, grain in storage, etc., by noxious insects, whose muhi- 
plication is largely due to careless methods of agriculture. 

We waste $267,000,000 a year through the attacks of flies, ticks 
and other insects on animal life. A greater loss is caused by the 



I 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 173 

enormous sacrifice of human life due to mosquitoes, flies, fleas and 
other germ carrying insects. 

We waste $100,000,000 annually in losses to live stock and crops by 
wolves, rats, mice and other depredatory mammals. 

We waste $93,000,000 a year in losses of live stock due to disease, 
of which $40,000,000 is chargeable to Texas fever, while tuberculosis, 
scabies and cholera are next in importance, all of which are largely 
preventable if not eradicable. 

We waste $2,490,500 a year in the form of 1,465 lives (using the 
figure $1,700 as the economic value of a human life, the Govern- 
mental estimate later referred to) in coal mino accidents which are 
almost wholly preventable. 

We waste 10,585 lives and the cost of 169,538 injuries in railroad 
accidents. 

But who can stop this enormous loss? It must go on 
for it is mostly all the result of sin. Man cannot control 
these conditions. However, we know a better day is 
coming for this world when this waste will be stopped. 

Religious Census of Japan. We have heard much in 
recent years about Japan being almost a ^'Christian 
nation." The Japanese Bureau of Religion has lately 
published an official list of the religious bodies in the 
empire. These statistics must be very disheartening 
to those who always speak about the '^Gospel-leaven" 
doing its work rapidly in the conversion of the world. 
The religious Census is as follows: 

Christians 140,000 

Buddhists 29,420,000 

Believing Buddhists 18,910,000 

Shintoists 19,390,000 

Believing Shintoists 710,000 

Temples with priests 72,128 

Temples without priests 37,417 

The 140,000 Christians include Catholics, Greeks, 
Protestant sects, Christian Scientists, etc. Believing 



174 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Buddhists and Shintoists mean such who practice these 
religions. The others simply call themselves Buddhists 
and Shintoists without believing these systems. They 
have abandoned these heathen rites and are nothing. This 
class numbers 29,190,000 souls. We heard it stated that 
Japan is rapidly becoming an infidel nation. The number 
of Christians is surprisingly small. 

The Increase of Insanity. Attention has been called in 
several medical conventions to the frightful increase of 
insanity. The statistics show such an increase. Fifty 
years ago there was one lunatic in 575 of the population, 
now there is one in 236. If this rate should continue in a 
certain time there would be more insane than sane people 
in the world. Insane asylums in many parts of the 
country are filled to their utmost capacities. What is 
responsible for these sad conditions.^ Sin. Fast living, 
worry, anxiety, religious extravagances and numerous 
other things lead often to an unbalanced mind. How 
much the influence of demons has to do with insanity 
no one knows. May we remember that when the Lord 
Jesus came the first time He found large numbers possessed 
by demons. It will be so when He comes the second 
time. 

The Outrageous Mrs. Pankhurst. As it is well known 
to all readers of the newspapers this woman belongs to a 
criminal class and is the leader of a number of women who 
delight in using the torch and the bomb. The New York 
Christian Advocate has an excellent editorial on her 
behavior in this country, which we pass on to our readers: 

The moral obliquity of Mrs. Pankhurst and her absurd satellites 
makes it impossible any longer to ascribe their disorderly conduct 
to hysteria. Excessive nervo\is irritability might account for the 



II 



i 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 175 

smashing of windows, the hurling of bombs and the violation of 
ordinary propriety in public assemblies, but it will not explain 
the distribution of filthy printed matter in England or America. 

A broad charity has led many persons to invest the militant 
suffragettes with a serious character, and to ascribe to them purity 
of motives, while none the less condemning their outbreaks against 
the public peace. Though by these preposterous antics they have 
retarded the movement for granting suffrage to women in their own 
country and in the United States, it was felt that something in their 
favor must be set down to the natural indignation aroused in their 
hearts by the refusal of the British government to make concessions 
to their appeals. But granting that publicity is an indispensable 
element to such a movement, there can be no justification for seeking 
notoriety through the issuing of publications that are or oughtto be 
contraband in any civilized country. 

This nastiness of the Pankhurst propaganda has created a revul- 
sion of feeling which cannot miss even the dull moral consciences 
of its supporters. Criminal proceedings having been instituted 
in New York for the suppression of the malodorous stuff which the 
Pankhurst coterie has been striving to shovel puon the American 
public, the persons responsible for its distribution instantly withdrew 
from their contemptible task and shipped what remained of the 
putrid material to the West, where we trust it will receive the same 
sharp and ready rebuke which befell it here. 

What sort of ethics must a woman have who, when she has been 
proffered the hospitality of a country by the interference of its 
chief magistrate with a law which would have barred her entrance, 
proceeds at once to abuse her privilege by peddling mental poison 
to the people of the first city she visits .f^ 

Increase of Iniquities and Corruption. Statistics show 
that there is a frightful increase all over this continent, 
both In the States and In Canada, of all kinds of crimes and 
Iniquities. Suicides have Increased over those of previous 
years. Suicides of children are no longer a rarity, but have 
become common. The papers contain dally the reports of 
robberies, murders and assaults. Unnatural crimes. 



176 CURRENT EVENTS. 

crimes against women and small children, have become so 
frequent that they excite but little comment. Oppression 
and injustice are seen on all sides. Of late the so-called 
"white slave traffic" has been unearthed with all its 
abominable features. It seems clear that it flourishes 
through political corruptions. How much is being covered 
up, how many crimes never come to light and the cor- 
ruption, which goes on in secret, only God knows. Surely 
the Lord's words, * 'iniquity shall abound," words which 
He spoke concerning the end of this present age, are 
being amply verified. The worst is yet to come. How 
our post millennial friends, with their optimistic dreams 
can dream on and continue to speak of the glories of the 
present age, and the increasing righteousness of the 
age, when all about us goes the other way, seems strange 
indeed. 

Ye have Lived in Pleasure on the Earth. "Ye have 
lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton" (James 
v:5). A better translation is "Ye have lived luxuriously." 
Luxurious living is one of the signs of the last days. 

The importation of luxuries into the United States was 
larger in the fiscal year 1910 than in any earlier year in the 
history of our commerce. Figures prepared by the 
Bureau of Statistics of the Department of Commerce and 
Labor covering the commerce of the full fiscal year show 
the importation of fully $250,000,000 worth of articles 
which may properly be classed as luxuries, that total 
exceeding by more than $25,000,000 the figures of the 
former high record year, 1907, and being actually more 
than double those of the year 1900. 

Diamonds, jewelry, laces and embroidery, furs, feathers, 
bead* and perfumery on the one hand, and cigars and 



4 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 177 

tobacco, wines and liquors and automobiles on the other 
are the principal articles forming the $250,000,000 worth 
of luxuries imported, though to these great groups must 
be added a third which includes art works, decorated china 
and bisque, musical instruments, toys and orchids, palms, 
etc. 

What a wailing there will be some day when all these 
pleasant things perish. ''Go to now ye rich men, weep and 
howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your 
riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. 
Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rest of them 
shall be a witness against you and shall eat your flesh 
as if it were fire. Ye have heaped treasures together for 
the last days'' (James v:l-3). 

The Appalling Increase of Suicides. The recent statis- 
tics of the United States concerning self-destruction tell a 
terrible tale. The Government report shows that during 
1909 fourteen persons in every 100,000 killed themselves. 
A magazine gives on this the follov/ing information: 

"The Government vita statistics for the registration area, which 
includes about one-half of the whole population, return 8,332 
suicides for 1908, or 18.5 per 100,000 of population. The regis- 
tration area, however, includes all of the large cities, in which the 
suicide rate is higher than in the rural districts, although the diifer- 
ence in the rate is not as pronounced as is generally assumed. As- 
suming that a rate of only 10 per 100,000 of population prevailed 
among the 41,845,000 of estimated population in the non-regis- 
tration area (including a large negro population), the probable 
number of suicides in this area would be 4,185, which, in addition 
to the 8,332 in the registration area, gives a total of 12,517 suicides 
for the whole Uniteu States for 1909. 

"Statistics show that poison is the favorite means for suicide, 
fire arms a second choice, and hanging a third, according to The 
Spectator. 



178 CURRENT EVENTS. 

"The method of suicide has an important bearing upon the 
subject in its larger aspects, for suicides are unquestionably, to a 
considerable extent, the result of suggestion. Granted convenient 
or easy facilities for self-murder, the deed is done before there has 
been time for reflection It is nothing short of an indictment of 
our sense of community responsibility that facilities for suicide 
should be as common as they are. Regardless of efforts which 
have been made to suppress the sale of poisons and weapons, there 
is nothing easier than to secure the means of self-murder at a con- 
venient drugstore, hardware store, pawnshop, etc., as the case may 
be. 

"In fact, an examination of the pistols or revolvers with which a 
very large number of suicides have been committed in Philadelphia, 
and which are on exhibition in the Coroner's office, proves that 
most of the weapons are cheap affairs, probably bought in pawnshops 
for a few dollars, including the necessary small amount of ammu- 
nition. 

"The general suicide rate in the registration area for this period 
was 14.0 per 100,000." 

And who is responsible for this frightful condition? 
That the influence of wicked spirits stands behind these 
suicides is beyond question. Unbelief, rejection of the 
Truth of God, the mad rush after material things, fast 
living and other matters are responsible for this increase. 
And it will not become better. If one watches in the 
larger cities the surging masses of humanity, without 
God and without hope, one wonders that the number of 
suicides is not largei. 

Socialism and Crime. The increase of Socialism in 
Germany has been phenomenal. With the revival of 
the industrial conditions in that land, Socialism also 
gained in power. The increase of crime in Germany 
keeping step with Socialism is significant. We quote from 
a Berlin report: 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 179 

Socialists are fond of proclaiming that their creed furnishes a 
complete substitute for religion and for morals as taught by religion 
in its law-abiding effect upon the people. German socialists, 
moreover, have asserted that criminality is due largely to the illu- 
sion and hypocrisy of religion, and that it decreases as socialism 
advances. 

That contention is disproved by a series of statistical figures just 
made public, which show that criminality in Germany has increased 
in rapid ratio with the spread of socialism. In Prussia, where the 
socialist vote increased from seven per cent, in 1884 to twenty-six 
per cent, in 1907, criminality increased from 1,023 per 100,000 
population to 1,215. 

In Berlin, where there has been a socialist increase of from thirty- 
four per cent, to sixty-six per cent, in the same period, criminality 
has increased from 1,216 to 1,522. In the Rhine Province the 
socialist increase from seven per cent, to twenty per cent, has been 
accompanied by a growth in crime from 673 to 1,270. 

In Bremen, where the socialist vote rose from twenty-three per 
cent, of the total population to fifty-one per cent., criminality 
jumped in the same period from 1,295 to 2,101. In Posen, on the 
other hand, where the socialist vote is only one per cent., crime 
shows a decrease from 1,679 to 1,449. In Saxony, where socialism 
increased from thirty-five per cent, to fifty-eight per cent., criminality 
shows but a slight increase, 928 to 960. 

In all Germany the socialist vote in the period named has in- 
creased twenty-nine per cent, and crime twenty per cent. The 
statistics quoted show that instances of bodily injury inflicted 
increased fifty per cent, throughout the empire, while robbery, 
larceny and swindling increased seventy-five per cent., with a 
particularly large growth m strong socialist centres as against a 
comparatively small increase in places where religion is still a strong 
factor. 

While it is not asserted that the increase in criminality is due 
to the spread of socialism, it is declared by students of these figures 
that they do show that socialism has failed to prove, in Germany 
at all events, that it is equal to or an adequate substitute for religion 
as a moral and law enforcing factor in the welfare of a nation. 

This is not at all surprising if one takes into considera- 



180 CURRENT EVENTS. 

tion that the German socialists are especially very bitter 
against the church and the truth of God. This increase in 
crime is a little sample of what is yet in store for this 
earth when the Lawless One will be in power. 

Great Progress and Preparations. The wonderful way 
in which the ends of the earth are brought together 
through commerce and the great railroads which are in 
operation and others which are being planned is really 
astonishing and significant. 

As the result of the Franco-German settlement of the 
Morocco-French Congo questions, a proposal is under 
consideration for the construction of a vast Trans-African 
railway, to do for the African Continent what the Union 
Pacific has done for the Western States of America. 
The Trans-African line would have two branches — one 
running from the Desert of Sahara to Nigeria, joining 
West Africa with Algeria; and the other connecting the 
Western Mediterranean section of the continent with the 
Indian Ocean by means of the Uganda Railway. The 
British have already built 1,860 miles of the Cape-to- 
Cairo line, the Belgians have laid 310 miles of track, 
and the French in Algeria 372 miles. It is 6,572 miles 
from Algiers to the Cape. This leaves about 4,000 miles 
to be built. A distinguished ex-member of the French 
Chamber regards this as a perfectly feasible scheme, 
considering the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow 
to Vladivostok, which is 5,332 miles long. 

We may well look upon this activity as being in prep- 
aration of that great world-wide preaching of the Gospel 
of the Kingdom before the end comes. However, the 
preaching of the final message, as every careful student 
of the Word knows, is not done by the church, but by a 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 181 

converted Jewish Remnant. The scaling of this rem- 
nant and their work is described in Revelation vii. All 
this takes place after the true church has left the earth. 
The great railroads will no doubt be put to good use at 
the end of the age for the heralding of the coming King 
and the coming judgments. 

Unhappy China. What a terrible struggle has set in 
throughout the prominent provinces o\ the Chinese 
Empire! It is estimated that nearly 50,000 beings have 
been killed so far and there is no end in sight. The 
"Dragon," the emblem of China, is showing his power 
and in the little time which is left to him he is trying to 
fill that dark country with suffering, bloodshed and 
violence. But his time is short. A better day will dawn 
for China and the other heathen nations enslaved by 
Satan. The deceiver of the nations, the god of this age 
and prince of the power in the air will be chained by 
Him, who has conquered him; then he can deceive the 
nations no more (Rev. xx:3). He knows his time is 
short, that soon the King of Kings will come to dethrone 
him. 

We should pray at this time earnestly for the mis- 
sionaries in China and for the thousands of native Chris- 
tians, whose lives are in danger and whom the Dragon 
hates in a special manner. 

Dark Figures. In spite of the heroic work done by the 
Prohibition movement and its supposed victory, the sale 
of intoxicants is increasing at a rapid rate. The recent 
Internal Revenue report for 1911 is a revelation. 

The annual report of Royal E. Cabell, Commissioner of Internal 
Revenue, given out, makes several startling declarations. All 
records were broken in the past fiscal year in the production of 
alcoholic liquors. 



182 CURRENT EVENTS. 

The smoking of opium is a widespread vice in this country, and 
opium "joints" exist in every city of considerable size. 

The double system of taxing oleomargarine is corrupting grocers 
and gross frauds are being perpetrated on the butter-buying public. 

The internal revenue receipts last year were $322,526,899, the 
greatest in the history of the government. 

Corporations making returns under the new corporation tax 
law numbered 270,202, with an aggregate capital of $67,886,- 
430,519. The aggregate net income to the stockholders was 
$3,306,250,642. 

The year's production of distilled spirits amounted to 175,402,395 
gallons, nearly 7,000,000 gallons more than in the previous banner 
year — 1907. The production of beer, ale, etc., amounted to 
63,216,851 barrels, nearly 4,000,000 more than in the previous 
record year — 1910. 

The amount of liquor held in bonded warehouses for ripening 
now reaches the enormous total of 249,279,346 gallons. 

Things seem hopeless in this direction. The only hope 
is the Coming of the Lord. With that event the things 
which offend will be gathered out of this Kingdom. 
Violence and vice will terminate then. May the glorious 
day be hastened. Even so, Come Lord Jesus. 

America's Darkest Crime. We have waited before 
commenting on the awful deed done several months ago 
in the town of Coatesville, Pennsylvania. A few weeks 
after this wicked crime a similar Satan-inspired mob, 
including five hundred women and children, in Oklahoma, 
burned also an unhappy negro to death. The terrible 
crime of Coatesville was one of the most fiendish ever 
perpetrated in the history of the United States. It is 
now time that the North should stop slandering the 
South. The crime was committed on Sunday evening. 
Every protestant preacher of the town (seven) was away 
on a vacation. When the mob rushed in the hospital to 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 183 

take the half dead victim only the nurses were there to 
shield the wounded negro. An investigator, who went a 
day or two after the crime to Coatesville, writes, "Nothing 
in the Coatesville conditions depressed me more than the 
city's apparent callousness to the enormity of its offence. 
Their talk was mostly of the business men's annual picnic 
on the morrow." Three days after this foul deed two 
train loads of people went on the picnic. The same 
man gives the following information: 

"The one leading citizen who is actively indignant over the city's 
shame told me candidly that the most he thought should be done 
would be to put some of the young men in jail for a few years; 
and he was frankly troubled over the fact that certain members of 
prominent families are involved. At the suggestion that the lynch- 
ers might be indicted for murder, he promptly protested, and said 
he would use all his influence to prevent it." 

We quote from two periodicals which have been out- 
spoken in their condemnation. We endorse every word. 
The first is from the N. Y. Christian Advocate (Methodist). 

"The sickening atrocity of the Coatesville lynching was enacted 
by white men in a Northern State, at the very moment when con- 
ventions of Southern Negroes were giving evidence of their rise 
from the conditions of bondage. At the hour of Sabbath evening 
worship a cowardly mob dragged a helpless colored man from the 
hospital and burned him with accompaniments of unspeakable 
horror. That the victim had slain a man does not excuse his 
murderers. Escape for him was impossible, and Pennsylvania justice 
would have been visited upon him, w^ithout delay. In taking the 
law into their own hands these American citizens — for they were 
not aliens — disgraced their State, and by the fiendish manner in 
which they wreaked their vengeance they put a blot upon common 
humanity. Negro-burning is an American white man's crime, and 
there is no worse under the sun. 

"Shame upon Pennsylvania if her justice is too blind to discover 
the leaders of this foul mob, or her arm shortened so that she can- 
not punish those who have made a mockery of her laws." 



184 CURRENT EVENTS. 

The Continent (Chicago) entered more fully In this 
matter, showing the religiousness of the town and its 
inhabitants. 

"Coatesvllle Is a more than ordinarily religious town. That fact 
is written not in cynicism but in sincerity. *There is a strong and 
real spiritual life here,' one friend assured me. Thanks largely 
to the work of William H. Ridgway, the community is especially 
active along Sunday-School lines. One man's Bible-class has 200 
members, another 100, two others fifty each. These men have been 
studying Jeremiah this month — and practicing Zedekiah. In evan- 
gelistic work the town is notable. It is the home of the Huston 
brothers, both of whom were absent on black Sunday. There are 
seven Protestant churches and one Roman Catholic in the borough. 
In the hour of trial, they all failed. With deep sorrow it must be 
written of Coatesville, as doubtless of hundreds of other small 
cities in like conditions, that there was not enough vital Christian 
force in the community to withhold a majority of the American 
citizens from assentmg to a most horrible violation of the com- 
mandment, *Thou shalt not kill.' There is blood upon the doorsteps 
of Coatesville's churches and schools and homes. 

"Grim and ghastly, here is a symptomatic condition for the 
preachers of the gospel, for the Men and Religion Movement, for 
the organized adult Bible-classes, for the Young Men's Christian 
Association (the Coatesville association has 400 members and a 
$60,000 building), for Christian Endeavor, for the Presbyterian 
evangelistic committee, and for the American home to ponder. 
The situation calls for a season of fasting, rather than for a picnic, 
or for the despicable maneuvering of ^practical' politicians. 

"Law failed in Coatesville. Our boasted American self-govern- 
ment collapsed completely when put to a test. The Chinese, Japa- 
nese, Hindu, Turkish, European, and British editors who comment 
upon this terrible tragedy as proof of the breakdown of the Ameri- 
can system cannot easily be gainsaid." 

Well said. It shows too plainly what is under the thin 
veneer of religious profession. It shows a great deal more. 
In spite of a boasted ''Christian civilization" there is the 
spirit of lawlessness. Some day it will break out in an- 



SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 185 

Other form and the results will be of an indescribable 
nature. "And there went out another horse that was 
red and power was given to him that sat thereon to take 
peace from the earth and that they should kill one another 
and there was given unto him a great sword" (Rev. vl:6). 



The Jews. 



The Marvellous Revival of Palestine. Twenty years 
ago 30,000 Jews lived in Palestine; to-day almost 175,000 
live in the land. Turkey's attitude towards the Jews has 
completely changed. Large and successful colonies are 
in existence. ^*The Continent," published in Chicago, had 
recently an interesting article on these developments from 
which we quote: 

"Twenty-five years ago one heard little of the Hebrew tongue 
in Jerusalem's streets or elsewhere in the land, because the Jew 
found it much safer to conceal his identity under the language of 
the country from which he chanced to come. But to-day Hebrew 
is used everywhere — in the market, the banks, and most especially 
in thousands of schools. It is one of the cardinal aims of the Zionists 
again to make this the language of the ancient homeland, and 
it will not be long before other nationalities and religions will have 
to learn Hebrew or simply be shut out of the commercial centers 
of the city and country. Only recently a German society for 
helping the Jews attempted to keep the German language in its 
schools. One of the results was a riot, and the matter was settled 
in favor of those who clamored for the Hebrew. 

"Those who have visited Jerusalem in former years will remember 
the thousands of pitifully poor Jews of all nationalities who lived 
on alms in the city. It is said on good authority that not less than 
5,000,000 francs ($1,000,000) is now coming into the land annually 
for their relief. But each year brings a better class of immigrants, 
and that means less and less need for alms. The fifty or sixty 
colonics lately established wear a much more hopeful appearance. 



THE JEWS. 187 

"Those about Jaffa and in the Plains of Sharon show every appear- 
ance of wealth and prosperity. The orange trade of Jaffa has 
increased greatly and will soon be largely in the hands of Jews. 
Out of 1,500,000 boxes handled this year at that port, at least 
one-third, or 500,000 boxes, are from the colonies or in the control 
of the Jews. While other nationalities, and especially Christians 
of all lands, are busy trying to circumvent one another in appro- 
priating legendary and sacred sites, the Jews are in a common-sense 
way buying up agricultural land. It is not possible to make any 
accurate estimate of what has been done in this line, but it is a 
well-known fact that no tract, small or large, within a hundred 
miles of Jerusalem, east or west of the Jordan, can be offered for 
sale without attracting Jewish buyers. Colonies, societies, and 
banks exist for this very business, and thousands of all nationalities 
and religions are in the trade for gain. Every day brings some 
fresh surprises of phenomenal purchases. This is one of the most 
striking features of the present commercial life of Palestine. The 
colonies are encouraging this agricultural conquest of the land, 
and meanwhile industrial schools under the patronage of wealthy 
societies and individuals are attempting a revival of Jewish arts 
and handicrafts with some credible results." 

The well known Rothschild visited recently Palestine 
and studied the situation. He is backing the colonies. 
He is a French banker, and Turkey has looked mostly to 
France for a great loan. 

"While Turkey is still pressing for a great loan from France, 
and France is demanding guaranties that the money will be spent 
for the betterment of what remains of the Ottoman Empire, the 
visit of Mr. Rothschild at this time can not fail to benefit Syria 
in a special way. The great loans call for concessions for harbors 
at Tripoli, Haifa, and Jaffa, and contemplates in the city of Jerusa- 
lem itself a French concession for a water-supply, electric light, 
and an electric tramway to Bethlehem. We may be sure that 
none of these things will be forgotten by the great Jewish banking- 
house which will no doubt furnish a large part of that loan." 

Still more interesting are the following statements on 
the establishment of the Jewish State. 



188 CURRENT EVENTS. 

"Austria and Germany are most powerful in the trade of Jeru- 
salem and its vicinity; France in high politics and finance. Of the 
influences from within the Arab element is almost nil, the Christian 
element too busy with trifles, the Jewish seriously and powerfully 
predominant. Certain churches and enterprises represent one or 
another of the European nations, but rarely more than one. But 
the Jewish element for one reason or another, draws power from 
all nations. Leaders of the Zionist movement differ sharply on 
many points; misunderstandings separate powerful interests; motives 
are attacked and as vigorously defended. But underneath all the 
outward clash of theories, the heart and soul of the Jewish race 
does unitedly hope and expect to establish a great Jewish state 
which, sitting at the juncture of three continents, in the seat of their 
ancient glory, shall levy tribute from the great nations of the earth. 

"Some speak of it as to be a state without a religion, in the sense 
that the United States has no official faith or state religion. The 
devoutly orthodox Jews, however, can not tolerate this idea, and 
hope for Israel's ancient glory. Perhaps the greater mass of Jews 
throughout the world, though, are without ambition to be citizens 
of such a restored Israel. While willing to pray for this great 
enterprise and to give of their abundance toward it, they adopt 
the attitude of one member of the London house of Rothschilds who, 
after listening to a glowing picture of the future greatness and glory 
of the Jewish people in the Palestinian state, is said to have answered: 
*Yes, I hope it may all come to pass. I pray for Jerusalem. I may 
even work for its reality. But when it does come to pass, I ask no 
greater favor and privilege than to represent the Jewish state at 
the Court of St. James.* '* 

Thus we learn, as we have pointed out so often for 
twenty years in our columns, that the Jewish Hope is 
not dead, but being revived. It is the sign of all signs of 
the approaching end of the ages. The Word of God has 
predicted this revival and its attending events. However, 
the fair picture of a partially restored nation will be 
marred by that time of trouble, Jacob's trouble, the great 
tribulation, when once more Israel is plunged in deep 



THE JEWS. 189 

distress. Then He comes who alone can save them, the 
true Hope of Israel, the King of Glory. He will gather 
them all back and make His land the Glory-land. How 
this ought to interest every Christian! 

The Onward March of Zionism. The eleventh Inter- 
national Zionist Congress, held this fall in Vienna, brought 
together once more large numbers of Jews from every 
part of the world. 

The Zionists are interested in establishing in Palestine 
an influential Jewish settlement. Operations in the Holy 
Land are carried on through the Anglo-Palestine Banking 
Corporation and the Jewish National Fund, with head- 
quarters in Cologne. The National Fund has sixty-five 
per cent, of its capital of $750,000 invested. The Palestine 
Anglo-Palestine Company acts as a strictly commercial 
bank, but is prepared to underwrite enterprises of national 
value. 

The organization has created an agency known as the 
Palestine Land and Development Company, w^hich pre- 
pares land for settlement by Jews, and in addition Zionists 
as individuals have bought considerable land and maintain 
a number of schools, and, especially in the United States, 
several colonizing groups have been formed which intend 
to settle in Palestine as agriculturists. 

As it is well knov/n this great national movement was 
founded by Dr. Herzl, who hopes to accomplish his purpose 
by entering into political negotiations with Turkey, which 
would enable him to bring a big settlement of Jews 
in Palestine. Herzl died before he could attain his object. 
Since his death in 1904 conditions in the Ottoman Empire 
have altered. A Parliament has taken the place of an 
absolute monarchy, and the Ottoman Government has 



190 CURRENT EVENTS. 

been distracted and harassed by eternal foes. The oppor- 
tunity seemed ripe for the immediate penetration of 
Palestine by the Jews. 

This opportunity a party in Zionism, led by Ussischkin, 
a Moscow engineer, w^as determined to exploit. The 
Ussischkin party failed, however, to displace another 
scheme until two years ago, when a committee of five 
Ussischkinites was placed at the head of the Zionist 
organization. The eleventh congress has been trying to 
perfect Ussischkin's control. 

It is unfortunate that much discussion has arisen among 
the Zionists. But in spite of it the movement records big 
progress. Its finances are in the best possible condition. 
It has a working membership of almost 150,000 with a 
million or more sympathizers. It owns two and one- 
half per cent, of the land in Palestine. The Jewish 
population of Palestine has doubled in the course of two 
years. The schools are making rapid headway. A great 
Jewish University is being planned with headquarters at 
Jerusalem. Another most interesting fact is that the 
Turkish government has put the crown lands of Syria and 
Palestine in the market. They are offered for sale and we 
understand that negotiations have already been opened 
by prominent Jews to purchase these lands. Surely all 
this is to be expected at the close of this present age. 
Israel is homeward bound and all is rapidly shaping in 
such a way which brings the fulfilment of predicted events 
concerning the tribulation and the Coming of the 
Lord in sight. May God's people turn more than ever 
to the study of Prophecy and have their lamps trimmed, 
for He is coining. 

What is Zionism? The Interesting Answer of an Ortho- 



THE JEWS. 191 

dox Rabbi. Orthodox Jews, who hold strictly to the faith 
of their fathers and believe in the Messianic hope, while 
being partly favorable to Zionism, look farther than the 
modern Zionists. Rabbi Pereira Mendes, the head of 
Jewish Orthodoxy of America, a learned gentleman, wrote 
recently an excellent letter to the N. Y. Times, which will 
be read with much interest by everybody. 

"The official declaration of modern Zionism is that it is a move- 
ment to obtain *a legally assured home in Palestine,' and it devotes 
itself to the material development of that country. It countenances, 
promotes, and organizes colonization, orange groves, olive planta- 
tions, trade schools, banking enterprises, such as the Colonial Trust, 
the National Fund, Anglo-Palestine Bank, etc., for the promotion 
of such purposes, and has achieved much practical good in the 
direction of materialities. Its latest proposition is to found a 
university in Palestine. 

"Naturally, there have been diversities of opinion as to details, 
but the names of such leaders as Drs. Herzl, Nordau, Marmorek, 
Gaster, and Wolfsohn; Profs. Warburg and Gotthiel, Messrs. Usiskin, 
Cowen, Greenberg, and a score more will long h?. remembered with 
respect. 

"But this is the modern Zionism, as popularly understood, and it 
includes 'political Zionism,' or Zionism with political aspirations; 
'practical Zionism,' or Zionism devoted to such practical purposes 
as above mentioned; 'humanitarian Zionism,' or Zionism that will 
provide a refuge for the oppressed in Russia, Rumania, etc.; and 
'educational Zionism,' or Zionism which seeks to educate Jewish 
public op'nion in Jewish directions. 

"It is not the ancient Zionism of the prophets of the Bible, which 
includes these to a certain extent, but which emphasizes the spirit- 
ualities. This Zionism demands not 'a legally assured home in 
Palestine,' but 'a legally assured home in Palestine for the spiritual 
as well as the material benefit of all mankind, not of the Jews alone.' 
This is the Zionism of the Bible, of our liturgy, and of our poets. 
'Also the sons of the stranger that joins themselves unto the Lord 
. even these will I bring to My holy mountain, . . . for 
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations" 



192 CURRENT EVENTS. 

(Isaiah Ivi). ^Therefore we hope in Thee ... to establish 
the world under Thy almighty kingdom, so that all Thy mortal 
children shall appeal to Thee . . . and receive upon them the 
yoke of Thy government, for Thine is the kingdom,'* etc. (Ritual). 
*A11 the nations which Thou hast made shall come and worship 
Thee" (Psalm Ixxxvi). 

"This spiritual Zionism is to-day enunciated by such leaders as 
Achad Ha'am. It includes such Bible ideals for the weal of all 
mankind as a Court for International Arbitration, a Temple for 
Universal Worship, provision for an education that shall fill the 
earth, not Palestine only, with the knowledge of the Lord, or Love, 
Justice, and Righteousness (Jeremiah ix:23) 'as the waters cover 
the sea' (Isaiah ii:3-4; lvi:7; xi:9). 

"This is Zionism, that it is as old as Isaiah, in whose day Rome 
was founded. It is older, for it is as old as Abraham, the founder 
of the Hebrew nation, who was told that 'through thy seed shall all 
the nations of the earth be blessed' (Genesis xxii:18). 

"Modern Zionism builds the church building. Bible Zionism 
the cathedral for all; and more tha i that, it creates a world con- 
gregation and inspires ministers for the weal of the world." 

The Rabbi sees something about the Kingdom to come. 
Alas! that he does not see Him, who alone can bring Israel 
back to the homeland and in Whom all the nations of the 
earth will be blest. 

Jews Fleeing from Russia. The inhuman laws of 
Russia continue, according to the report, to make the 
empire of the Czar the darkest spot on the Jewish horizon. 
During 1909, 6v5,000 Russian Jews fled their country for 
America. This exodus of the oppressed was swelled by 
another 35,000 Jews from other countries. 

A recent report gives graphic figures illustrating how the 
Russian laws are breeding Jewish paupers, although the 
Jewish population of roundly 6,000,000 constitutes only a 
little over four per cent, of the entire Russian population. 
Ninety-three per cent, of all the Jews in Russia arc per- 



THE JEWS. 193 

mitted to dwell only in twenty-five of the sixty Govern- 
ment districts, comprising altogether only one-sixth of the 
total area of the empire. The consequence of this over- 
crowding in the western and southern provinces, especially 
in Russian Poland, is that in such regions as Odessa and 
Warsaw the Jews constitute, respectively, eleven and four- 
teen per cent, of the population, and wholesale poverty is 
an inevitable result. 

At Easter time in 1909, 60,000 Jews were reduced to 
dependence on public charity, while 15,000 families, num- 
bering 75,000 persons, were in the same condition in War- 
saw. 

In Galicia and Roumania the conditions are somewhat 
better than in Russia, but there, too, the Jews suffer under 
serious disabilities and outside assistance is constantly 
needed. 

An association is carrying on important w^ork through- 
out the Turkish Empire, especially in Palestine. At Haifa, 
near Jerusalem, the cornerstone will shortly be laid of a 
fine technical college endowed principally through the 
munificence of Jacob H. Schiff of New York. Numerous 
other educational projects are supported in the Orient with 
a special view to making the Turkish Jews valuable 
citizens of their own country and removing the causes for 
emigration. Special attention is devoted to the teaching 
of the Turkish national language in order that the genera- 
tion of young Jews may grow up equipped to play their 
part in the rejuvenation of new Turkey. 

The condition of the Jews in the Russian Empire, the 
land of the North in Prophecy, will not alone remain the 
same as it has been, but the persecutions and periodical 
massacres will increase and become more and more severe. 



194 



CURRENT EVENTS. 



Eventually there will be a large exodus of Jews from Rus- 
sia and the direction they take will not be the Western 
land, which so many reformed Jews call their Palestine, 
but they will go East to their real home land. Such an 
exodus is predicted in Zechariah ii:6. ''Ho, ho, come forth 
and flee from, the land of the North, saith Jehovah." 
Zionism in its finest type and deepest longing is found in 
Russia. 

The Progress of Zionism. During the past few weeks 
the movements among the Jewish people towards the 
accomplishment of the Zionistic scheme have been almost 
startling. The successful Young Turk movement has had 
the liberal support of the Jews and in return this interesting 
and more than significant coup d'etat favors strongly the 
establishment of the Jewish state according to Herzl's 
plan. We reported recently that Jews were invited offici- 
ally to return in large numbers to Palestine. This invi- 
tation has been repeated a few days ago. The President 
of the Chamber of Deputies in Constantinople visited the 
head of the Jews living in Turkey and in behalf of the 
Turkish Government extended an invitation to the Jews 
of Russia and Roumania to emigrate to Turkey. The 
government has promised to abolish all restrictions against 
Jewish immigration to Palestine and other parts of the 
Empire and furthermore to confer full citizenship on 
Jewish immigrants immediately on their arrival in Turkey. 
It is rumored that very important negotiations are under 
way which may bring about far-reaching results. 

The prominence of the Jews in Turkey is seen from the 
fact that the first address in Parliament was delivered by a 
Jewish deputy. Another Jew was in the commission that 
announced to Abdul Hamid the decision of the committee 



THE JEWS. 195 

to have him deposed. The palace in which the wicked 
Sultan is held prisoner belongs to an Italian-Jewish family, 
the wealthy Alatini brothers. 

The attempt of the Jewish territorial organization, Israel 
ZangwIU, President, to secure Mesopotamia as a monster 
Jewish colony and spent one hundred million dollars for 
irrigation, will undoubtedly miscarry as similar attempts in 
East Africa and North Africa failed. Palestine, nothing 
less than Palestine, is the watchword of the great Jewish 
national revival. 

And how significant it is! Well may God's waiting 
people watch this sign of all the signs of the times. Such a 
restoration of a part of the Jewish race to Palestine, before 
the last stage of their sad history will be reached is de- 
manded by predicted events. This restoration has set 
in. It indicates that the times of the Gentiles are drawing 
to a close. 

We shall watch with much interest the coming conven- 
tion of the American Federation of Zionism to be held in 
New York. Over 1,000 delegates are expected. Under 
"Notes on Prophecy and the Jews" the reader will find 
additional Information. 

Zionism to the Front. In connection with this signifi- 
cant situation in the Balkan peninsula and the apparent 
solution of the Eastern question, Zionism, the great 
Jewish national revival, Is coming to the front once 
more. It is being forced upon the statesmen of Europe, 
We quote from a recent article in one of the papers: 

Among German statesmen the opinion is steadily growing stronger 
that the trend of political events in the near East is tending to further 
the interests of Zionism, and that the return of the Jews to Palestine 
may not be very far off. 



196 CURRENT EVENTS. 

A glance at the map will show that Palestine is the corner stone of 
three continents. The Mediterranean nations are stirring as they 
have never done in modern history. The near East, the Middle 
East present European statesmen with great problems. There is 
the Bagdad railroad, there is the railroad from Cape to Cairo, 
that is, to the very door of Palestine. For that part of the world 
which has Palestine, to speak broadly, as its center there must be a 
great awakening in a very near future. 

All the Powers of Europe will either be directly or indirectly 
interested in that happening, and one of them cannot permit any 
other to occupy the pre-eminent position or wield predominant 
power in Palestine, the key to vast lands now stirring in their slumber, 
the corner stone to countries with amazing undeveloped possibilities. 

What the interests of Germany as well as of all the other European 
Powers require is a buffer state, and the enterprises which will be 
engaged in and around Palestine appear to suggest that in that state 
will be required the brains, the business acumen and the wealth of 
the Jews, that there will be a favorable outlet for all three, and that 
advantageous use can be made for all concerned. 

All this is deeply interesting. What a privilege it is to 
see and watch these startling developments at the close of _ 
1912! Mm 

The Unsolved Problem. The condition of the Jews in 
Russia becomes more desperate. About 6,000,000 He- 
brews live there and they are being harassed and driven 
about as never before. The first decade of the much 
Ir.uded twentieth century began with the awful massacres 
in which thousands of Jews, men, women and children 
lost their lives. They were time.> of sorrow and tribu- 
lation which remind of the French Revolution a hundred 
years previous. At the end of the first decade Russia is 
still at it, though in a different way. A New York rabbi 
made recently the following remarks: 

*'The status of the Jew in Russia to-day calls not for vain com- 
plaint or murmuring, but for the presentation of the grim facts 



THE JEWS. 197 

as they are. These facts constitute the indictment of Russia, and 
mark, alas! the unutterable humiliation of Israel. 

"The former policy of massacre instigated by the state and exe- 
cuted by its servants has been succeeded by the less dramatic but 
not less tragic method of 'peaceful extermination.' Instead of the 
blood-letting massacres which, unhappily for the Russian govern- 
ment, stir the conscience of the world, a system of merciless Jew- 
ish repression and degradation has been carried on throughout the 
past year not less terrible in its ultimate effect. A Jewish society 
in England lately admitted that its budget included an item for 
possible massacres. What a withering comment upon Jewish power 
and Jewish prestige, as upon the genuineness of our present day 
civilization. 

"The Jewish question in Russia has ceased to be a Jewish ques- 
tion and a Russian question. It is become a world question — a 
problem of humanity. What is needed is the protest of the aroused 
conscience of the world against the monstrous crimes which Russia 
is committing upon its own defenseless population. It is not the 
least indictment of the war craze that in order partially to neutralize 
the military prowess of Germany, England shoul4 strike hands 
with a band of murderers in the high places in Russia. For a 
decade or more it was French finances that enabled Russia to 
continue its foul career. To-day it is Great Britain that by the 
Reval pact did much to bolster the falling fortunes of the Russian 
government, and by so much to betray its own history and the 
hope of humanity." 

How true all this Is. The Jewish question has indeed 
become a world question and is the problem of humanity. 
But the aroused conscience of the world can never settle 
this question. There is no remedy for the humiliation of 
Israel, no solution of that question from the side of man. 
God in His Word predicted thousands of years ago that 
such would be the condition of His people as a result of 
their unbelief and the rejection of Him, who is their King. 
It has all come true. But God's Word also predicts the 
end of all their wanderings and tribulation. It gives the 



198 CURRENT EVENTS. 

solution of the Jewish question. God Himself in the Per- 
son of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the root and off- 
spring of David will in His own appointed time deliver 
His earthly people and have mercy upon Zion. None 
other than the once rejected King in the day of His second 
visible manifestation will solve "this problem of human- 
ity." But it will also mean the punishment of the 
enemies of His people. Russia's present attitude towards 
the Jews and future judgment is written in the Bible. 
The developments of the Jewish question ought to be 
followed with deepest interest by all Christians, who love 
His appearing. 

Jewish Sympathy for Turkey. Jewish sympathy in 
the Italian-Turkish war is altogether on the side of Turkey. 
Especially marked is this interest among the millions of 
Jews living in Russia. A number of young Jews departed 
recently from Kieff to enhst in the Turkish army at 
Constantinople. 

The formation of similar groups is also reported from 
Lodz and Warsaw. Jewish sympathy with Turkey is not 
confined to Zionist circles. Although every allowance is 
made for the exemplary treatment of Hebrews in Italy, 
the Jews in Russia feel that the blindness of European 
diplomacy to a sense of wrong is also responsible for the 
indifference of the latter towards their own suiferings. 

The Russian press, true to its tradition, regards the 
war as a product of Jewish intrigue. The Sviet asserts 
that the Young Turk Committee, 'Vith its Jewish 
majority, has brought about the war." M. Menushikoff 
(in the Novoe Vremyd) states that Abdul Hamid's refusal 
to grant Palestine to Dr. Herzl cost him his throne, and 



I 



THE JEWS. 199 

now the Young Turks, in this turn, pay for their failure 
to satisfy the Zionists. 

Zionistic Activities and Progress in Palestine. Recently 
the tenth annual convention of the American Federa- 
tion of Zionism was held in New York City. Hundreds 
of delegates were present and the enthusiasm was marked. 
A feature of this congress was a Zionistic Junior League 
Meeting. Whoever saw the bright and sparkling eyes 
of young Jewry all aglow for Zionism will realize the 
genuineness of this striking national revival. Mr. 
Strauss expressed in the opening meeting the hope that 
the young Turks, who have battled for their own free- 
dom, will not be slow in helping the Jews in their great 
and glorious aims. 

Dr. Harry Friedenwald, the President of the Federa- 
tion of American Zionism, gave an enthusiastic address. 
He said in part: 

The great event of the past year which has completely changed 
conditions, the importance, and far reaching results of which it is 
difficult even now to estimate, is the Turkish revolution. The 
subversion of the most despotic of absolute monarchies into a 
modern, liberal, constitutional government, the failure of the 
counter revolution and the firmer entrenchment of the forces that 
stand for progress and for freedom are of the deepest political 
interest to the world. 

Even during the former regime the Jews of Turkey enjoyed the 
same measure of liberty as the non-Jews and were spared the dis- 
criminating injustice of neighboring countries. Now the Jews — 
who have taken their proper stand in the movement for progress 
— are given every encouragement and we again see Turkey as of 
old inviting the Jews oppressed in other lands to immigrate and 
help in the upbuilding of the empire. We have a profound satisfac- 
tion in the consciousness that some of the Jewish leaders of the 
Revolution are also ardent Zionists and that the Zionist awakening 
in Turkey is widespread and augurs well. 



200 CURRENT EVENTS. 

We shall bring later additional information about this 
interesting gathering. Great things are expected from 
the next world congress of Zionism to be held in December. 

At the same time great progress in the affairs of Pales- 
tine is reported. Commerce is enlarging and the im- 
migration constantly increasing. The following is from 
the Daily Consular and Trade Reports: 

Consul-General G. Bie Ravndal, of Beirut, says that the linking 
of Egypt and Syria by a railway is certain to be seriously consid- 
ered, as its advantages are obvious. He writes concerning the 
project: "Mr. Almagia, a prominent Italian contractor in Alex- 
andria, informs the Egyptian Gazette that he asked the Ottoman 
and Egyptian governments to allow him to make plans for a rail- 
way line by way of El Arish to Jaffa. The idea is that the line, 
after crossing the Suez Canal, should run along the coast to the 
frontier at El Arish and then on to its terminus at Jaffa, where it 
would connect with the Jerusalem railway." 

All this is an indication that the times of the Gentiles 
are drawing to a close. Soon the Lord's Word will be 
accomplished. ^'Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the 
Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" 
(Luke xxi:24). 

Jews Suffering in European Turkey. There are many 
thousands of Hebrews living in the war-zone of European 
Turkey. They have come in for the severest sufferings. 
An appeal for help has been sent to this country. The 
appeal is signed by H. Nahoum, Grand Rabbi of Turkey; 
J. Fernandez, President of the Turkish Israelitish Alli- 
ance and Dr. D. F. Markus, Chief Rabbi of the Ash- 
kenazim Jews. We quote part of the document. 

The Balkan war has laid everything waste which was in Jewish 
possession in all the cities and villages of European Turkey, with the 
exception of Constantinople, Salonika and Adrianople. Fields and 
houses, hostelries and stores, and even personal belongings, have 



1 



THE JEWS. 201 

been swept away like an earthquake by sword and fire. Number- 
less peaceful and innocent lives have already fallen victims to this 
orgy of blood. 

Terrified to death, half naked, deprived of the sheerest necessities, 
driven out into the terrible isolation of the winter nights, our unfor- 
tunate brethren have attempted to save their lives in wild flight. 
Frozen, half-starved, wounded and desperate, they have crowded 
like wild beasts into overfilled railway cars, or these failing them, 
have tottered on foot until they have at last reached the capital. 
Helpless mothers, pale children, gray beards, helped along by 
beggars* staffs, men in the prime of life, ruined and despairing, have 
crowded like a flood of terror and necessity into the Jewish quarter 
of our city, already over-crowded in ordinary times. 

This is but another chapter in the story of Israel's 
suffering and tribulation. This night of woe has lasted 
long. It will surely end, when the Son of David appears 
in His Glory and the Rejected One, like Joseph, will 
deliver His brethren according to the flesh out of all their 
sufferings. But before that happens, the darkest hour 
in their history must come. That will be the time of 
Jacob's trouble (Jerem. xxx:4). Everything is getting 
ready for it. 

A National Jewish University in Palestine. The 

American Federation of Zionists in their recent annual 
convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, strongly recommended 
the establishment of a Jewish University in Jerusalem. 
Resolutions to that effect were adopted by the federation. 
It was after a paper on the proposed National Jewish 
University was read by Professor Horace Kallen, of the 
University of Wisconsin, and a discussion that the resolu- 
tion to establish such an institution in Jerusalem was 
adopted. The plan also embraces further colonization 
and the establishment of schools for Jews in Palestine. 



202 CURRENT EVENTS. 

It was resolvefl to send word to the International 
Congress of Zionists at Vienna to push the project of a 
National Jewish University. 

This surely shows great progress in the program of 
Zionism, the great modem national movement among 
the Hebrews. The fate of Palestine is still in the balances. 
While it yet rests in the hands of the Turkish government, 
the rightful owners of the land, the Jews, are constantly 
increasing. Jewish capital is financing the different 
enterprises. The language of the country, the ancient 
Hebrew, is being wonderfully revived. Remnants of 
Hebrews, some of them belonging to the so-called "lost 
tribes," are gathering back to the land. All this has 
significance. A great change for that land of hallowed 
memories and glorious destiny is impending. From 
the prophetic Word we know what it all means. Pales- 
tine will yet belong to the Jews and Jerusalem will become 
the great center for the land once more The predicted 
partial restoration of the Jews to Palestine and Palestine 
to the Jews, is in progress. 



New Discoveries. 



New Records Found. Recently the British Museum 
received a new cylinder of baked clay containing the 
achievements of Sennacherib in cuneiform inscriptions. 
It has been translated and has been found to contain the 
record what Sennacherib did for the city of Nineveh. The 
Old Testament tells us what a great and beautiful city 
Nineveh was. The newly discovered record says, among 
other things, this: 

He tells first of the rebuilding of his palace. "Bull colossi of 
white stone * * * they quarried as supports for the doors 
thereof. In order to construct rafts great trees in the woods through- 
out the whole of their land they cut down. In the month of Ivyar, 
at the time of the spring floods, on mighty rafts they brought them 
across with difficulty to the other side. In the crossing of the 
quay wall the great vessels sank deeper and their crews groaned 
and were distressed in spirit, but by might and tribulation they 
brought them with difficulty and set them up in their gates. 

It is a wonderful picture of the building of one of the great 
cities of old when human labor was so cheap that Nebuchadnezzar, 
for instance, was able to build a magnificent temple in fifteen days. 

Sennacherib's tale continues in this fashion: "I altered the struc- 
ture of the palace and enlarged its site. Palaces of gold, silver, 
bronze, malachite, breccia, alabaster, ivory, cedar, cypress, pine 
for my lordly habitation I constructed. Beams of cedar and cypress, 
whose scent is pleasant, the products of Amanus and Serara, the 
snowcapped mountains, I arranged in place above them. Doors of 
cedar, cypress, pine and sindu wood with a plating of silver and 



204 CURRENT EVENTS. 

copper, I found. Female colossi of alabaster and ivory, wearing 
horned headdresses, having bent talons, clothed with strength and 
vigor, full of splendor, I set up in their doorways and made them 
a wonder to behold. With brickwork, Ka stone and lapis lazuli 
I decorated the ramparts, the cornices and all the copings." It is 
a vision of barbaric splendor that approaches the description of 
Solomon's temple. "The palace that has no rival," Sennacherib 
called his habitation. 

The King's proudest record is of the casting of bronze lions, 
colossi which had been moulded in clay "as in casting half shekel 
pieces." It was evidently an unprecedented achievement. 

In the eyes of many people this will be another confirma- 
tion of the Old Testament and its trustworthiness. But 
why not turn it around and say instead of "These records 
prove certain parts of the Bible true," say which is more 
according to truth, "These records are trustworthy because 
the Bible says so".^ Without the Bible these records 
would have no meaning at all. 

But Sennacherib's beautiful residence is a heap of ruins. 
God's Word predicted this and it has come to pass of 
Nineveh. Nahum said in Jehovah's name, "Woe to the 
bloody city, it is full of lies and robbery, the prey departeth 
not. . . . And it shall come to pass that all they that 
look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is 
laid waste; who will bemoan her? Whence shall I seek 
comforters for thee?" (Nah. iii:l, 7). And this present 
age likewise, with its great cities and magnificent palaces, 
awaits a predicted judgment, when the works of man will 
crumble into dust and Jehovah will be exalted. 

An Interesting Recovery. Most interesting and impor- 
tant excavations are being made in ancient Ethiopia, 
showing a high state of civilization and an empire of great 
wealth, which existed there several thousand years ago. 



NEW DISCOVERIES. 205 

Meroe is the name of the ancient capital. Queen Candace 
reigned there (Acts viii:27); but even then Meroe was 
hundreds of years old. We quote from the report of the 
excavations : 

The story of Queen Candace's ancient capital should make inter- 
esting reading when the excavations now in progress under Pro- 
fessor Garstang are completed. The royal city of Meroe lies 
between Aaraba and Khartum, on the Nile. 

The story of these discoveries is indeed one of the most romantic 
pages of modern research; no one, unless it were Professor Sayse, 
had imagined or could have inferred how extensive the ruins of 
the city were, nor how remarkable in character. When the excava- 
tors first arrived, three or four seasons ago, the only visible trace 
of ancient handiwork was a simple line of wall and three or four 
carved stone rams in the same vicinity. 

Now, however, all is changed; the stone rams are found to line the 
avenue of approach toward the great Temple of Ammon, which in 
more ancient history was one of the chief features of the city. The 
stone wall which rose in isolated ruin is found to be only a portion 
of a great enclosure, inside which there are coming to light the stone 
built palaces, official buildings and the royal baths which form the 
royal city of tradition. 

The broken potsherds begin to tell their story and to disclose to 
expert examination three main successive periods of local activity; 
the first subject to Egyptian influence, the second marked by an 
influx of Greek ideas, and the third suggesting a Roman occupation 
or colony. 

The historical material confirms these evidences, showing the 
city to have been founded about the eighth century B. C, possibly 
when the Ethiopian power in Egypt began to decline before the 
advance of Assyria, impelling the king and his court to seek the 
security of a refuge further up the Nile than their previous capital 
of Napata afforded. 

Many tombs of the Necropolis have been examined and show 
that the development of local funerary art and customs pursued 
a parallel course. These are archaeologically divisible into three 
separate groups corresponding to the main historical divisions, 
land, it would appear, to the groups of pyramids. 



206 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Another Evidence for Daniel. In our exposition of 
Daniel we have made the statement that this magnificent 
book has been completely vindicated and has proven an 
anvil upon which the critics' hammers have been broken 
to pieces. This vindication still goes on. We quote the 
following from an Exchange: 

It is reported that Greek and Cypriote vases have been discovered 
among Hittite remains at Carchemish. What does this mean? 
In a word, that, during the period 1100 to 600 B.C., works of art 
from the lands of the Levant had been carried into the great empires 
on the Euphrates. Having regard to the extraordinary commercial 
activity of the ancient East, this is a proposition quite easy to 
understand. Yet, again and again, in order to "bring down*' the 
date of Daniel, and support the theory that the Book was not 
written by the prophet of that name, it has been objected that 
musical instruments with Greek names are mentioned in the record 
as having been used in Babylon! And why not? Now at length 
the objection is shattered; for if Greek works of art were imported 
into "the land of the Hittites," as we now find to have been the case, 
they cannot for one moment be regarded as unknown in Babylon, 
at a still later date! 

The Limit of Earth's Resources will Soon be Reached. 

A leading English Scientist made a few weeks ago before 
the British Association for the Advancement of Science 
some interesting statements. Within a century, he esti- 
mates, the resources of the world will be taxed to their 
full capacity. 

Civilized man is, or ought to be, beginning to realize 
that in reducing more and more of the surface of the earth 
to what he considers a habitable condition he is making so 
much progress and making it so rapidly that the problem of 
finding suitable accommodation for his increasing numbers 
must become urgent within a few generations. 



NEW DISCOVERIES. 207 

He also referred to the wheat acreage as not keeping pace 
with the increase in population, and added: 

"If prophecies based on population statistics are trust- 
worthy the crisis will be upon us before the end of the 
century. 

"We must either depend upon some substitute to reduce 
our consumption per head, or we must take to intensive 
farming of the most strenuous sort." 

We doubt not these fears are fully justified. Problems 
arise on all sides and man is helpless to solve them. The 
world is rapidly approaching what may be called a great 
bankruptcy. Tremendous upheavals of a physical and 
social nature will surely come. God's hand will be felt 
in mighty judgments. But we know more than that. The 
Word of God holds out the blessed hope of better things for 
this earth with its ever increasing groans. That hope can 
only be realized in the Coming of the Lord, who is both 
Creation's Lord and Creation's Redeemer. He did not 
wear the thorns, the emblems of the course, in vain upon 
His blessed brow. With His Coming a new era, a new 
age, will begin for this earth. The nearness of this age 
introduced by His manifestation seems indicated by the 
fact that the limit of the resources of this earth will soon 
be reached. 

Beth-Shemesh has been Found. There have recently 
been discovered in Palestine by Dr. D. Mackenzie and 
F. G. Newton the remains of Beth-Shemesh, which had 
been lying forgotten for 2,614 years. Beth-Shemesh was 
possibly one of the high places that King Hezekiah over- 
turned, as described in 2 Kings xviii:4. 

A mound in the valley of Sorek, known as Ain Shems, which, 
from its position on the main road between Jerusalem and the sea, 
would have formed an important point of defense for the Holy 



208 CURRENT EVENTS. 

City, was thought to cover the Beth-Shemesh of old. There was 
little indication on the surface of what lay buried beneath. Trial 
shafts, says Claire Gaudet, in an article in The Graphic ^ wert sunk 
with satisfactory results, the walls of the city were traced and laid 
bare, and the ashes which have covered these walls probably since 
the Assyrian invasion in the year 701 B. C. have now been forced 
to give up the secrets they hid. The city, however, had been 
completely destroyed by fire on a former occasion — it is thought 
in the days of King Ahaz, at the time of the Philistine invasion. 

The first year the explorers pitched their camp beneath an olive 
grove close to what is probably a very ancient road which crossed 
the Tell, dividing it into two, the eastern part being Ain Shems and 
the western Rumeileh, where the buried city proved to be. Close 
to this road is the shrine of Abu Meizar, which, according to tra- 
dition, is associated with Samson. The shrine is built on a rock, 
and its position forms a natural halting place for travelers crossing 
the valley. 

Mr. Newton points out the probability that this is the very spot 
where the Ark rested on its arrival from Ekron, for the surroundings 
correspond exactly with the description in the first book of Samuel 
vi:14 even to a great stone which is to be seen close by, in front 
of the shrine. 

Well may we all be thankful for these continued con- 
firmations of sacred history. Infidelity and its cousin, 
"Higher Criticism," may laugh for a time; the last 
laugh belongs to faith. Let them dig on. The spade 
will turn up other things. Happy are we, that we believe 
in the Bible apart from any of these archaeological finds. 

The Claims and Twaddle of Science. The so-called 

"scientific worW was recently startled by the claims of 
a Mexican professor, Mr. Herrera, of having succeeded 
in forming a human embryo by chemical combination. 
Science has for a long time wrestled with the problem 
of life and has more than once attempted to produce life 
artificially. That the claim of this Mexican scientist is 



NEW DISCOVERIES. 209 

another fake needs hardly to be stated. In connection 
with this alleged discovery a scientific paper says: 

It would be impossible of course to set a limit to the scope of 
scientific research and investigation which in reality covers the 
universe itself; and what the professor believes he has accomplished 
is after all only what the free play of natural forces brought about 
in a natural way some 100,000,000 (more or less) years ago. 

We refer to what is known as spontaneous generation or the 
passage from non-living to living matter — from the inorganic to the 
organic. This must have taken place under a transitory set of con- 
ditions existing toward the end of the azoic or lifeless period of 
our planet. At that precise time the earth's physical condition 
was entirely different from what it is now. Although still warm, 
as compared with subsequent stages, it had cooled down sufficiently 
to enable the enveloping vapors to condense and form water, with- 
out which any known form of life would have been impossible. 

There is no doubt whatever that on strict analysis it will be 
found that the bodies of all living things — animals and plants — 
are made up of elements all of which are included in the earth's 
composition; and out of a few of these, such as carbon hydrogen, 
nitrogen, oxygen, and sulphur, united into a proximate compound, 
is formed a substance called protoplasm, which is the physical 
basis of life in all its forms. 

The first formation of this substance under special conditions — 
chemical, electrical, thermal, and aquatic — probably took place in 
the shallow margins and lagoons of the Laurenthian seas. This 
was the starting point of life, and if through any fortuitous cause 
it failed to develop under the conditions then obtaining, it is in the 
highest degree improbable that life could have originated in a 
natural way at any subsequent stage of the earth's evolution, as 
the requisite conditions are wanting, and can no more be recalled 
now than we can recall our individual childhood state. Both have 
passed and gone never to return. 

It, therefore, follows that we need not expect to see at the pres- 
ent stage of the earth's evolution any such thing as abiogenesis or 
spontaneous generation through a natural operation. But this does 
not preclude the possibility of an artificial production of living sub- 



210 CURRENT EVENTS. 

Stance in the laboratory of the chemist or experimental physicist 
some day. But it is exceedingly doubtful if any artificial organism 
would be able to survive the strain of adaptation to what would 
most likely be an unsuitable environment. Whether the organism's 
life would be a "merry" one or not is doubtful; but it would certainly 
be "short"! 

This sounds all very learned and plausible, but is it 
truth? Certainly not. It is simply the speculation of 
man, who rejects God's revelation concerning the origin of 
this earth. No, life cannot be manufactured. In the 
above article the first beginning of life is given as 100,- 
000,000 years — more or less. That is how exact science 
is in its miserable guesswork. One only needs to put 
together the different estimates of well-known scientists 
to find out how much at sea they are in regard to the age 
of our planet. Here are a few guesses about the age of the 
earth: 

Lord Kelvin, 1862, 20,000,000 to 400,000,000 years, 
probably 98,000,000. 

Clarence King and Carl Barus, 1893, 24,000,000. 

Lord Kelvin, 1897, 20,000,000 to 40,000,000. 
\ De Lapparent, 1890, 67,000,000 to 90,000,000. 

Charles D. Walcott, Secretary of the Smithsonian In- 
stitution, 1893, maximum, 70,000,000. 

J. Joly, 1899, age of the ocean, 80,000,000 to 90,000,000. 

W. J. SoUas, 1909, age of the ocean, 80,000,000 to 150,-- 
000,000. 

Messrs. Becker and Clarke of the U. S. Geol. Survey, 
not above 70,000,000 and not below 55,000,000 years. 

A few million years apart, that is all. What a sure 
foundation and perfect knowledge we possess by direct 
revelation in Genesis i. That blessed opening chapter 
after centuries of scientific investigation, discoveries and 



NEW DISCOVERIES. 211 

theories stands still unimpeached. It can never be shaken. 
The earth itself and the heavens may pass away, but His 
Word never. 

The Guess Work of Science. The age of the earth 
has been over and over again estimated by the men who 
call themselves Scientists. Not two of them agree, but 
they differ a few million years and more. Recently a 
geological publication of the University of Chicago made 
the statement that the age of the earth is about 400,000,000 
years. Others are equally sure, say that the age is 100,- 
000,000,000 years. What folly! But turning from the 
Scriptures these "great" men professing themselves to be 
wise become fools. 

Some years ago a skull was found at Gibraltar and was 
termed a prehistoric skull. After spending months of 
study on the skull Prof. Keith of London has come to the 
conclusion that it belongs to a woman who lived 600,000 
years ago. This great Professor has discovered that nuts 
and roots were the chief diet of that woman and that her 
palate was one-third larger than that of the woman to- 
day. Oh, how smart! But — some other scientist will be 
certain that the skull is not more than 2,000 years old. And 
this flimsy thing called science is used in colleges and in- 
stitutions to ridicule the Word of God, that sublime 
revelation, which tells us of the beginning of all things. 
Yet with all these attacks the solid rock foundation of 
God's Word stands and ever will stand : "In the beginning 
God created the heavens and the earth." 

Still Another Theory. A professor in one of the New 
York Colleges gave recently his explanation of how life 
came to be upon this planet. 

"The theory of spontaneous generation, having been proved im- 



212 CURRENT EVENTS. 

possible, we are reduced to believing that all life comes from pre- 
ceding life, and since our earth was originally in a condition abso- 
lutely inimicable to life, it must have come from other worlds. 

"One theory maintains that meteors falling upon our earth 
brought germs of life. This idea, however, is not plausible. Meteors 
become white hot on passing through our atmosphere, which 
would destroy any life which might have existed upon them. 

"About the only other thing which arrives on this earth from 
far away globes is light. This form of energy, rushing through 
space at 186,000 miles per second, became the carrier of the first 
life which took root on the earth. In the form of tiny spores, life 
germs, they were planted upon fertile soil, and through the process 
of evolution eventually became even man himself." 

How the tiny spores and life germs came into existence 
originally he does not tell us nor can he answer other 
questions about his "explanation," which explains noth- 
ing. Yet boys and girls have to listen to such nonsense 
and their poor hearts are a good soil for this seed of 
infidelity. The rejection of the light given by revelation 
and moral declension go hand in hand. What dark days 
are ahead for this poor world! 

Artificial Creation Once More. During the last ten 
years different scientists have claimed that life can be 
produced in an artificial way. Prof. Edward Albert 
Schaefer, of Edinburgh University, president of the 
British Association for the Advancement of Science, in 
his annual address to that body at Dundee recently as- 
serted again that life can be produced artificially. This 
is mere guesswork. Life can never be produced by a 
chemical process. It is amusing to read what some of 
the leading men of science have to say on this question: 

Sir Edwin Ray Lankester, a former president of the 
British Association, remarks: ''Professor Schaefer cast no 
bombshell into the ranks of men of science. Those who 



NEW DISCOVERIES. 213 

arc engaged in research are in complete agreement with 
him. Opposition can only come from metaphysical 
Philosophers. The public should refrain from excite- 
ment as to Professor Schaefer's vision of the ultimate 
production of a life-compound by the chemist. The 
evolution of a synthetic human is probably a hundred 
million years in front of us. 

Professor D'Arcy W. Thompson observes: ^'Though 
we push such explanations to the uttermost, and learn 
much in so doing, they will not touch the heart of the 
great problems that lie deeper than the physical plane. 
Over the ultimate problem and causes of natality we shall 
be left wondering still." 

Professor Elie Metchnikoff, Director of the Pasteur 
Institute in Paris, declares that the artificial production 
of life is not within the present range of practical chemis- 
try. He says: ''I do not think such a step will be made 
in cur epoch, certainly not in my lifetime. Chemists 
have applied themselves to the task of synthesizing 
living matter for many years, but there are great difficul- 
ties which must still be overcome. The composition of 
living matter is not yet sufficiently known, and chemists 
have yet to complete their analysis of the albuminoids 
which form the living cell before they can hope to build 
up life. That task is certainly one of the greatest 
difficulty." 

Alfred Russel Wallace is prone to ridicule the proposals 
of Professor Schaefer, whose arguments, he says, "are 
the same as those of Haeckel and all the great agnostics, 
but he does not really get over the difficulties one iota 
more than they did. So there is nothing in what he says 
that one can call new. He begins by stating, as if it were 



214 CURRENT EVENTS. 

his point of view, that the problems of life are essentially 
problems of matter, and that we cannot conceive of life 
in a scientific sense as existing apart from matter. He 
puts down what he could conceive and could not conceive 
as a datum, without any attempt to prove it. A little 
further on he tries to show the similarity of the process 
of reproduction in living and non-living matter, and the 
only thing he brings forward is crystals. He says that 
crystals grow and multiply and reproduce their life, and 
therefore he appears to be utterly ignorant that a crystal 
is simply added to on the outside, whereas life is a thing 
of wonderful and complex structure and is added to on 
the inside. That, I consider, is a wonderful case of bad 
reasoning, of begging the question." 

A believer in the Word of God can read all such state- 
ments in calmness of soul, knowing that all these efforts 
will prove a complete failure in the end. 

An Interesting Discovery. Dr. Vilhjalmar Stefansson, 
of the American Museum of Natural History, has returned 
after the discovery of a tribe of 2,000 white persons lost 
for more than 400 years in the arctic regions. He travelled 
10,000 miles on foot during four years, and found the long- 
lost descendants of the Norsemen who 800 years ago went 
to Newfoundland with "Lief the Lucky" from the shores 
of Norway. 

The discovery is ranked by ethnologists as the most 
important of the kind that could be made, with the single 
exception of the discovery of the history of the lost tribes 
of Israel. 

This tribe, living yet in stone age style, has its habitat 
about Coronation gulf and Victoria Land, regions the 
doctor was warned to avoid before he started on his 



NEW DISCOVERIES. 215 

expedition. All maps which he had showed the country 
as uninhabited. 

But he found a white race of fair complexion, half of 
whom have red hair and white eyebrows. They bear no 
trace of Asiatic or the Eskimo, but resemble in many 
respects the Scandinavians from whom they descended. 

Prof. Stefansson accounts for their existence by the 
fact that in the year 982 Greenland was discovered and 
settled by 3,000 Icelanders. One thousand of these people 
sailed from Norway and missed Greenland, but landed on 
the coast of Newfoundland. The Norsemen settled in 
two colonies, one on the north and one on the south side of 
Newfoundland. 

How remarkable that this race should have been hidden 
so long and now be brought to the attention of the civilized 
world! But God knew them and knew their abode. The 
so-called "lost tribes" are equally known to God. May 
the Gospel now be speedily carried to this white race of 
the far North. 

The Missing Link Still Missing. During an animal 
show in Chicago, a dark skinned being, which had no ar- 
ticulate speech was exhibited. The poor creature was 
advertised as the "ape man," a "cannibal" and as the 
"missing link" of the evolution theory. The being, a 
mere boy, was called "Congo" and his exhibitors told a 
graphic story how he was captured in Central Africa and 
what dangers were connected with his capture. Many 
thousands looked at the boy and not a few believed that 
he must be the long looked for missing link. 

But it has now been discovered and legally decided by 
Judge Windes, that the poor fellow is not the missing link, 



216 CURRENT EVENTS. 

but an imbecile Louisiana negro boy, who never saw Africa. 
The Judge has awarded his custody to the mother. 

The scientists, professors and preachers, whose creed is 
the Darwinian evolution theory, must keep on looking for 
the missing link. It is still missing and will never be 
found. 



INDEX 



Page 

Airships 38, 39 

America's Darkest Crime 182 

Antichrist 34, 78, 80, 122, 127 

Anti-Romish Agitation 164 

Anti-Semitism 19 

Apostasy 65, 77, 93 

Armageddon 52, 53 

Armies of Nations 49, 50 

Artificial Creation 212 

Atrocities 17, 20 

Austria 16, 27 

Bahaism 60, 108, 126, 127, 128 

Balkan Situation 16, 44, 51 

Balkan Wars 22, 24,25 

Belgium 45 

Berlin, Corruption of 169 

Bernhardi, von 35 

Besant, Mrs. Anna 121, 123, 125 

Bible Criticism 56, 57, 73, 94 

Bible Hatred 84 

Buddhism in Europe 112 

Christian Science. . 60, 92, 98, 130, 140 

Christianity Socialized 153 

Church of England 83 

Church, Corruption of the. ,82, 86, 87 

Church Union 75 

Coming of the Lord .... 19, 47, 48, 53 

Concert of Europe 17 

Confederacy of Europe 29, 42, 43 

Confusion of Zion City, Ills 61 

Constantinople 9, 22 

Crime, Increase of .145, 178, 182, 210 

Criticism, Higher 56, 57, 73, 94 

Cult, A New 133 

Dancing in Churches 86, 87 

Daniel 206 

Delusions 99, 100, 103 

Demons 100 

Discontent of Nations 163 

Discoveries 203, 204, 207, 214 

Dream of the World 115 

Earth's Resources Exhausted 206 

Edward VII, King 9, 33 



Page 

England 9, 16, 35, 39, 49, 50 

England and Russia 9, 10 

Ethical Systems 113 

Europe Buying Guns 12 

Europe Uneasy 23 

Federation 74 

Food Problems 162 

France 14, 16, 39, 49, 50 

German Answer to Monism 110 

German Commerce 14 

German Control of Europe 18 

German Emperor 13 

German Fleet of the Air 35, 36 

German National Debt 20 

Germany and Turkey 18 

Ghosts 58 

Gog and Magog 19, 20 

Heathendom, Revival of 68 

Hell Ridiculed 65 

Holland in Line 26 

Hospital, The Soul 114 

Human Slaughter House 24 

Humanity, Church of 136 

IngersoU, No Successor to 56 

Intemperance 145, 181 

Insanity, Increase of 174 

Italy 17 

Japan 11, 173 

Jerusalem 8,201 

Jews, The 

186, 189, 190, 192, 196, 199, 200 

Jews and Russia 193 

Jews and Turkey 198 

Jewish State 187 

Jewish University 201 

Joan d' Arc 80 

Krishnamurti 119, 120, 121, 124 

Krupp Guns 38 

Lawlessness 145 

Licentiousness 168, 169 

Life, The Problem of 208, 211 



INDEX 



Page 

Mains, Dr. George P 94 

Methodism 62, 88, 93, 95 

Mexico 41, 42 

Millennial Dawnism.67, 101, 137, 138 
142, 143 

Missing Link 215 

Missionary Apostasy 78 

Modern Warfare 55 

Modernism 85 

Monism 106 

Moral Corruption 157 

Mormonism 110, 128 

Mosque in London 112 

Navies of the Nations 49, 50 

New Christianity 79 

New Theology 80, 84, 86 

New Thought 116, 118 

Old Roman Empire 11 

Optimism, False 8, 63 

Palestine 40, 186, 199 

Pankhurst, Mrs 174 

Passion Play 89 

Peace Confidence Shaken 13 

Peace, No 8 

Peace Palace 54 

Peace Treaty 46 

Peace, Universal 11, 43, 44, 48 

Persia 10, 19, 40 

Pleasures, Increase of 176 

Pope, The Peace Message of the. . .28 

Progress, Great 180 

Psychical Research 103, 104 

Put Him Out 76 

Religion, A Common .59 

Religions in U. S . .00 

Revolution, The French 34 

Roman Catholicism . . . .28, 29, 64, 96 

Roman Empire Revival 18 

Uomanism Triumphant 58 

Kome's Riches 67 



Page 

Roosevelt, Theodore 52, 142 

Russell, Pastor 66, 101, 138, 142 

Russellism 67, 101, 137 

Russia 19, 26 

Russia and Eastern Question 10 

Russia's Strength 32 

Russia's Preparations 13 

Russia's Threatening Attitude 8 

Satan's Work 143 

Science, Guesses of 210, 211 

Serpent Worshippers 141 

Signs of the Times 18 

Single World Government 29, 30 

Social Decline 175, 176 

Socialism 146, 147, 161, 167, 178 

Sound Doctrine Abandoned 69, 70 

Southcott, J 135 

Spiritualism 99, 100, 103, 132 

Stead, W. T 99 

Sun Worshippers 68 

Suicides 175, 177 

Titanic Disaster 148 

Turkey 9, 13, 22, 199, 200 

Turkish Question 22 

United States of Europe 42 

Universal Peace 7 

Unrest of the World 33, 155 

Waechter, Sir 42, 43 

War, Preparations for 10, 35 

War, Horrors of 15 

Waste, Enormous 172 

Wealth, Great 159 

White Slave Traffic 163 

World Bureau, The Other 99, 100 

World Center 51 

World Government 30 

Y M. C. A., Downward Road of 

71, 72, 92 

Zeppelins 36 

Zionism 23, 189, 190, 194, 195, 199 



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